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On the Lamellar Structure of the Tracheid Cell Wall
Author(s) -
Fahlén J.,
Salmén L.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.871
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1438-8677
pISSN - 1435-8603
DOI - 10.1055/s-2002-32341
Subject(s) - lamellar structure , materials science , tracheid , scanning electron microscope , composite material , cellulose , morphology (biology) , electron microscope , ultimate tensile strength , fracture (geology) , optics , chemistry , botany , biology , genetics , physics , organic chemistry , xylem
It is clear that cross sections of wood cells show a lamellar structure. This paper investigates the orientation of this lamellar structure of spruce (Picea abies) tracheids using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cross sections of spruce wood were produced through fracturing in longitudinal bending and tensile testing. When investigated with SEM, the fracture surfaces show a structure of mostly larger radial lamellae, in the order of 30 ‐ 100 nm, i.e., agglomerations of a few cellulose aggregates. Thin transverse sections of the fracture zones investigated with atomic force microscopy show concentric lamellae with a width in the order of a single cellulose aggregate, i.e., 15 ‐ 25 nm. No structural connection to the splinters in the radial direction can be seen. It is suggested that the radial lamellar structure is a consequence of the energy released during fracturing of the wood samples and that the undistorted wood has a concentric lamellar structure on a smaller structural level.