Investigation of biodeteriorated historical textiles by conventional and synchrotron radiation FTIR spectroscopy

We have examined specimens of historical biodeteriorated cellulose textiles using synchrotron radiation and conventional source FTIR spectroscopy. The main aim of our research was to investigate structural changes caused by ageing and biodeterioration in different types of cellulose fibres. We compared the results, obtained with both methods regarding spectral quality and information obtained with each method. Additionally, we obtained mapping images of the cross sections of the investigated specimens using synchrotron FTIR in order to analyze structural changes in cross sections, caused due to biodeterioration.