ABSTRACT
Although there is extensive practical knowledge of cotton processing, a more thorough
understanding of cotton fiber structure will improve exploitation of today’s fiber. Still, the
ultimate reason to seek such understanding is to be able, through genetics, biochemistry, or
chemistry, to tailor fiber to have new or improved properties. The initial structure of a cotton
fiber is determined by biosynthesis, a series of processes that are subject to substantial
influence during fiber growth. After the boll opens, there are many factors that affect the
structure, from the weather before the fiber is harvested to the industrial processes such as
mercerization. Cotton fibers are composed mostly (e.g., 95%) of the long-chain carbohydrate
molecule, the cellulose (the sugar of cell walls). In this overview and Section 5.2 through
Section 5.5, we are concerned with the physical structure of cellulose and the fibers, as
revealed by various methods.
