The structure of dislocations in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fibres and implications for mechanical behaviour

Elementary fibres isolated from mechanically processed technical hemp were axially sectioned and imaged with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to reveal details of the axial morphology of dislocations in the fibre. The overall aim was to investigate the detailed axial structural changes that the fibres undergo during processing, to help better understand the alterations in the deformation behaviour the fibres undergo following processing. The images showed the structure and morphology of dislocations as well as the different forms of damage that processing produced in the fibre structure, such as misalignment of the microfibrils, delamination, and buckled cellulose microfibrils. Furthermore, the results of this work show the ability that axial sectioning of the fibre has to reveal new details of the cell wall structure of hemp to offer new insights in the study of the fibre structure. In turn, the results of this work may help explain the mechanical behaviour of the fibres when they are loaded, as well as help explain the greater chemical accessibility of dislocations, for example, when the fibre is acid hydrolysed.