Durum wheat straw (Triticum durum cv.
Jupare) was processedwith a mill (ThomasWiley laboratorymill,model 4,
Swedesboro, NJ) and sieved through a 180 μm mesh screen (Retsch
GmbH, Haan, Germany). The straw was previously dewaxed using the
Soxhletmethod as described in the standards of the Technical Association
of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) (T264 om-82 and T204 os-76).
Cellulose was extracted from the durum wheat straw by a method commonly
used to assess the R-cellulose and hemicellulose content of lignocellulosicmaterials
as previously described (13). The holocellulose content
(R-cellulose þ hemicelluloses) of the fibers was obtained by treating the
fibers with NaClO3 and NaOH (J. T. Baker, Philipsburg, NJ). The Rcellulose
content of the fibers was then extracted through further NaOH
treatment of the fibers to remove the hemicelluloses.
236 C. Residual TFA was not present in the nanofibers as assessed by the FT-IR technique.