A Unique Approach for Preparing Cross-Sectional EM Study of Textile Fibers

Textiles are made up of fibers that are arranged in different ways to create the desired strength, durability, appearance and texture. They are heavily treated with chemicals before the new fibers are spun. The textile surface modification improved the flexural behavior of the materials. Examining fibers of textile under the microscope has been an important practice of the textile industry over the years. Among the microscopy techniques, optical and SEM have been the most popularly used to date. Despite the study of cross-sectional samples provides valuable information of the materials, publication of textile fibers especially their cross-sectional TEM/SEM has been scarce. This study presents the results of a cross-sectional EM study of textile fibers including discussion of different sample preparation techniques