Characterization of original and expanded leaf-roots of tobacco by terahertz spectroscopy and X-ray microanalysis

Expanded leaf-roots of tobacco are used as fillers into cigarette products to reduce cost and contents of tar and nicotine and improve quality. To study the difference between expanded and original leaf-roots of tobacco, terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy was used to detect the absorption spectra in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1.5 THz. Significant difference in terahertz absorption was observed in original and expanded leaf-roots. To understand the origin, scanning electron microscope was employed for microanalysis, revealing the difference in element compositions and surface appearances between original and expended leaf-roots. Non-polar and low-polar components of leaf-roots were largely lost after dissolving into liquid CO2 during expansion, accounting for the difference in THz absorption spectroscopy.