1H NMR relaxation study of paper as a system of cellulose and water

The interaction between water and cellulose was studied in papers sized with neutral alkylketene dimer and in papers prepared with acidic rosin sizing. We analyzed samples using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). We measured molar ratios of cellulose/total water and cellulose/ bound water. For linter and kraft acid papers, bound water is lower in acidic papers than in their neutral counter-parts. The water content in ground-wood paper is almost twice that of linter and kraft papers.