Changes in DRIFT spectra of wood irradiated by lasers of different wavelength

An exact wavelength separation of the spectrum cannot be accomplished when utilizing common ultraviolet (UV) light sources, so the dependence of photodegradation on wavelength cannot be done directly. The photodegradation of wood resulted in by laser irradiation on various wavelengths can be studied by comparing the changes in the DRIFT spectra of various wood materials. The analysis of the difference spectrum is a widely used method to investigate the changes in the infrared spectrum. As this procedure cannot be used to compare the changes quantitatively, a new indicator was introduced, termed Band Damage Index (BDI). The BDI and the results obtained by its analysis are going to be discussed.

► Change in the DRIFT spectra of woods caused by lasers irradiation was studied.
► The change of spectra is more significant in case of softwood than of hardwood ones.
► Beech latewood proved to be the most resistant to photodegradation.
► The measure of change after UV irradiation depends on the wavelength significantly.
► The most significant change occurred after KrF laser treatment.