FT-IR and FT-Raman study of hydrothermally degradated cellulose

Deterioration of books and archive materials is due to degradation of cellu lose that is caused by many factors such as acidic hydrolysis, oxidative ag ents, light, air pollution or presence of microorganisms. Recently, FT-IR a nd FT-Raman spectroscopy have been used for the characterization of cellulo se and its degradation products. In this work, we present vibrational spect ra obtained with different sampling techniques of pure cellulose from softw ood and cotton that has been hydrothermally treated for maximum 21 days in extreme humid atmosphere (100% humidity, 100 degreesC). We show that the ob tained results strictly depend upon spectroscopic techniques used in measur ements. We also present and discuss changes in vibrational spectra pointing out a role that is played by water molecules in this accelerated aging pro cess of paper. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.