Characterization of henequen natural fiber by using two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

In this presentation, we have applied principal component analysis-based two-dimensional (PCA2D) correlation spectroscopy to the IR spectra of electron beam irradiation (EBI) or NaOH solution treated henequen fibers to investigate in detail, the effects of EBI and alkali treatment on henequen fibers. PCA2D correlation spectra with eigenvalue manipulation transformation (EMT) operation by lowering the power of a set of eigenvalues showed that the spectral changes with EBI treatment are distinctly different from those for alkali treatment on henequen fibers. The crystalline and amorphous CO stretching bands are observed at 1722 and 1735 cm−1, respectively, for EBI treatment, while at 1728 and 1739 cm−1 for alkali treatment. By lowering the power of a set of eigenvalues associated with the original data, the subtle features hidden within a spectral data set are revealed much more clearly than the original data, which are difficult to observe even by conventional 2D correlation analysis.