Why is it that a wet tissue or piece of cardboard or paper tear more easily? How does water affect the structural integrity of paper products?
In: Chemistry
Looked into this in my college chemistry course. If you’re able, look at dehydrated, “regular”, and wet cardboard under a microscope.
Dehydrated is not at all flexible, and you will be able to watch it snap when squeezed instead of flexing (if you’re lucky and good at micro-scoping like our professor)
Regular, you will be able to see the fibers flex and then return to their shape unless you deliberately snap them / crease them.
To answer your question…In contrast, wet cardboard’s fibers could barely hold themselves up in between cross sections, much less actually stand up as a group. They were bloated, and heavy, and when folded the sections more slumped in any direction instead of what you’d consider “folding” They were just too heavy.
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