<P> Mercerisation is a treatment for cellulosic material, typically cotton threads, that strengthens them and gives them a lustrous appearance . The process is less frequently used for linen and hemp threads . </P> <P> The process was devised in 1844 by John Mercer of Great Harwood, Lancashire, England, who treated cotton fibres with sodium hydroxide . The treatment caused the fibers to swell, which in Mercer's version of the process shrank the overall fabric size and made it stronger and easier to dye . The process did not become popular until H. A. Lowe improved it into its modern form in 1890 . By holding the cotton during treatment to prevent it from shrinking, Lowe found that the fibre gained a lustrous appearance . The process was taken to the DMC company in Mulhouse, France by Jean Dollfus in the 19th century . </P> <P> Mercerisation alters the chemical structure of the cotton fibre . The structure of the fibre inter-converts from an alpha - and beta - cellulose mixture to cellulose II, a more thermodynamically stable allomorph . </P> <P> In alpha - and beta - cellulose the polysaccharide chains are stabilized by intra-molecular hydrogen bonds as well as by hydrogen bonds within polysaccharide layers . </P>

This cotton is mercerized. explain the effects of mercerization