Photochromic behaviour of ozonated and photoirradiated cellulose studied by fluorescence spectroscopy

Samples of ozonated pure cotton cellulose have been subjected to three extended periods of irradiation with monochromatic light at 350 nm, with intervening dark periods. The changes during the treatments were monitored using fluorescence spectroscopy. Photochromic behaviour, comprising a fairly rapid emission intensity decrease during irradiation and a slower recovery of the emission intensity in the dark at ambient temperature, was observed. Starting from the completion of the first irradiation/dark treatment the intervening dark reaction almost completely restored the situation prevailing before irradiation. The photochromism observed for a reference sample of cellulose not pretreated with ozone and for microcrystalline cellulose was similar but differed both in amplitude and in fluorescence recovery during the dark periods. The ozonated sample was also irradiated with the entire spectrum of a medium pressure Hg lamp. This treatment caused a strong increase in the emission intensity and a red-shift of the emission maximum. The changes caused by ozonation and irradiation were also studied by diffuse reflectance FT-IR and UV-visible reflectance spectroscopy.