Characterizing spatial distribution of the adsorbed water in wood cell wall of Ginkgo biloba L. by μ-FTIR and confocal Raman spectroscopy

Abstract The adsorbed water influences significantly, the physical and mechanical properties of wood. In the present paper, the spatial distribution of adsorbed water in wood cell walls has been studied by μ-Fourier transform infrared (μ-FTIR) and confocal Raman spectroscopy. In situ μ-FTIR spectra were collected from three randomly selected areas in different cell wall regions, which were exposed to an environment with 0% to 96% relative humidity (RH). The water adsorption sites were easily detectable based on OH, C=O, and C-O group vibrations and it was shown that the adsorbed water concentration was not uniform in different regions. Confocal Raman spectroscopy images were collected from the cell corner (CC) and middle layer of the secondary wall (S2) and the non-uniformity of water distribution could also be confirmed by this approach. It was demonstrated that both μ-FTIR and confocal Raman spectroscopy provide valuable information about the spatial distribution of adsorbed water in morphologically distinct cell wall regions.