Reversed double-beam photoacoustic spectroscopic analysis of photoinduced change in absorption of cellulose fibres

Photoabsorption properties of cellulose fibres under continuous and modulated irradiation were investigated in situ by the use of reversed double-beam photoacoustic spectroscopy (RDB-PAS). This photoacoustic (PA) measurement enabled observation of ultraviolet- and visible light-induced, electron trap filling, and reductive change on the surface of the fibres. Energy-resolved measurements and analysis of the kinetics of photoinduced de-excitation suggested that electrons that accumulated in the different cellulose crystalline phases had moderate reactivity toward molecular oxygen. Saturation limits of the intensities of the PA and RDB-PAS signals under de-aerated conditions in the presence of surface-adsorbed methanol were estimated for softwood and hardwood cellulose samples. The results suggest that the RDB-PAS technique is a feasible method for the estimation of the electron trap distribution, which is a potential measure of the density of crystalline cellulose defects.