Temperature dependency of bound water of cellulose studied by a high‐resolution NMR spectrometer

Abstract

Abstract The widths at half‐value of high‐resolution NMR spectra of bound water of cellulose were studied in relation to the temperature change. Two points were made clear: First, the amount of bound water of the cellulose sample can be pointed out with higher accuracy the lower the temperature of the measurement. Second, it is possible to determine in a simple manner the boundary temperature T c at which water molecules become bound by the cellulose. T c is characteristic of the cellulose sample of a given water content and corresponds to the glass transition temperature of the water‐containing sample. The measurements appear to be readily applicable to other hydrophilic polymers.