STUDY OF SMALL-ANGLE X-RAY-SCATTERING FEATURES OF ACID-TREATED AND ALKALI-TREATED SILK FIBER (MULBERRY) USING CORRELATION-FUNCTIONS

Silk fibres at room temperature after treatment with solutions of HCl (pH = 2) and NaOH (pH = 10) have been investigated using the SAXS (sma ll angle X-ray scattering) technique. The theories developed by Vonk ( 1973) and Ruland (1971) for nonideal two-phase structure characterised by continuous variation of electron density at the phase boundary hav e been applied to calculate various macromolecular parameters such as the width of transition layer, the average periodicity transverse to t he layer, the specific inner surface, the length of coherence, the tra nsversal lengths in matter and void, the range of inhomogeneity, the v olume fractions of matter and void, the volume fraction of the transit ion layer and the characteristic number.