Surface wetting behaviors of cotton and two rayons, one a regular crenulate
d and the other a trilobal (Galaxy), all stripped of topically applied fini
sh, are determined using a sensitive Wilhelmy technique. The contact angles
(advancing and receding), work of adhesion, and surface energies are asses
sed. For the latter, wetting tests are conducted in two dissimilar fluids,
deionized ultra filtered water and methylene iodide, whose polar and disper
sive contributions to surface tensions are known. Kaelble's model is used f
or surface energy, providing the magnitude of not only the total energy but
also its division into the dispersion and polar components. The results sh
ow that the three cellulosic fibers have widely different contact angles an
d surface energies. They also have different hysteresis values, assessed by
comparing the values obtained from measurements in the receding and advanc
ing modes. These differences shed light on differences that exist in their
chemical and physical structures.