3.2.4. Surface Morphology and Crystallinity Analysis of Hydrogels

Surface morphology and crystallinity analysis of the prepared hydrogel samples was performed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), respectively. The prepared hydrogel samples were dried at room temperature. Then, the surface morphologies of both raw and treated sugarcane bagasse and synthesized hydrogel (swelling state) were studied by SEM. As the bagasse and hydrogel are non-conductive, a carbon coating was applied (≈100 Å), and the sample was examined in an SEM chamber (Jeol, Model-JSM-7600F, Tokyo, Japan) to see the surface structures. The micrographs were enlarged to a magnification of 100 to 5000 times using (5–20 kV) accelerating voltage. XRD analysis was carried out with an X-ray diffractometer (Empyrean, PANalytical, Almelo, The Netherlands). The necessary specifications of the XRD instrument are as follows: X-ray source was Cu-Kα, tube voltage was 45 kV, and electric current was 40 mA. Before measurement, the samples for XRD of hydrogel were transformed to dried powder form. All the samples were transformed to powder form using a mortar and pestle. The well-ground sample had a particle size of, at most, 44 microns and was dried/dehydrated using a drying oven.