An AFM Study of the Surface Properties of Fiber Upon Progressive Recycling, 2007 TAPPI 8th Research Forum on Recycling

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Surface adhesion measurements made by atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that recycling increased the ap-parent hydrophilicity of the fiber surface. However, the water retention value and strength decreased as expected, which indicates a reduction in hydrophilicity. Recycling did not affect the amount of water bound to the fiber sur-face as a monolayer. Hence, the reduction in water retention is caused by a drop in the pore water and not in the wa-ter associated with the fiber surface. It is proposed that the shrinkage of the fiber caused by recycling increases the density of the surface and increases the contact area between the AFM tip and the fiber. Hence, in this instance, the surface adhesion measurement is more a measure of the density of the surface than of its chemistry.