Fourier transform Raman spectroscopic study of the first cellulose‐based artificial materials in heritage

Abstract This paper presents a Raman spectroscopic study on the first artificial materials that entered the fabrication of fashion accessories at the end of the 19th century. The aim was to evaluate how such materials were incorporated into fans which were representative of that period and produced with a wide diversity of characteristics. Non‐destructive Raman spectroscopy has already been successfully applied to the study of materials in heritage objects, with a near‐infrared excitation (1064 nm) to avoid any fluorescence. Our study focused on cellulose‐based materials, i.e. celluloid and acetocellulose, the other materials used for fan manufacture requiring another analysis technique and methodology. Raman spectra of their main components, cellulose nitrate and camphor for celluloid and cellulose acetate for acetocellulose, were used as references for the identification. The choice of the reference components is discussed. After a first selection excluding fans made of natural and/or proteinaceous materials, 13 fans were analyzed. Eleven of them were shown to be made of celluloid since their Raman spectra superposed cellulose nitrate and camphor signatures. We observed additional bands for three of these fans, which we assigned to a plasticizer added to ease modeling. Bands of triphenyl phosphate, one of the plasticizers used for acetocellulose manufacturing, were evidenced in the Raman spectra of the last two fans of our selection. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.