Ancient and modern paper characterization by FTIR and Micro-Raman spectroscopy

Archive and library materials are an important part of our national cultural heritage. In order to identify appropriate methods for the conservation and restoration of suchmaterials, it is important to establish the current physical-chemical state of the artifactand how it can be influenced by the chemical reactions it meets with. The degree of crystallinity and orientation of the paper fibers has a significant influence on its mechanical properties. Many chemical and physical reactions can increase amorphousareas and susceptibility to biological attack, thus making the paper more brittle. Spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools for the characterization of paper materials and for the identification of degradation products. This paper describesthe application of FTIR and Micro-Raman spectroscopy for the characterization of cellulosic materials.