Although in the studies of cellulose materials visible-Raman spectroscopy has been applied since early seventies, it was not until much later that the other Raman capabilities became available. For instance, Raman microprobe and FT-Raman methods became available in early eighties and mid-nineties, respectively. With the former, cellulose could be analyzed at micron and sub-micron levels and for the first time, Raman imaging of samples became feasible. With the development of FT-Raman, near-IR laser excitation of samples permitted acquisition of fluorescence-free spectra for most cellulose materials. Since then, many advances have taken place by the applications of Raman to cellulose R & D field. This presentation will focus on three such areas of activity, namely, crystallinity, polymorphy, and ultra-structure of cellulose. Based on the work completed in our Group, it will be shown that in general, compared to other methods Raman generates superior results. In support, findings from the use of 380-Raman to measure crystallinity, quantitation of cellulose II and cellulose III polymorphs in presence of cellulose I, and the effort made to understand the ultra-structures of cellulose in various materials will be an important part of this address.

Raman spectroscopy in the analysis of cellulose: Addressing the issues of crystallinity, polymorphy, and ultra-structure

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.