Raman spectroscopy-based method for evaluating LED illumination-induced damage to pigments in high-light-sensitivity art

Because commonly used organic pigments are highly responsive to visible light, high-light-sensitivity art is vulnerable to irreversible illumination-induced damage caused by radiation from light sources. With application of the four primary white light-emitting diodes (fp-WLEDs) in museums, it is urgent to evaluate the illumination-induced damage to high-light-sensitivity art caused by the fp-WLEDs. Four narrowband LEDs with different peak wavelengths of 450, 510, 583, and 650 nm that constitute the spectra of the fp-WLEDs were used to irradiate three commonly used organic pigments: safflower, gamboge, and indigo. Based on the fundamental reason for the illumination-induced damage, that is, photochemical reactions, Raman spectroscopy was introduced into the study. The Raman spectra of pigments were measured before and after illumination. The characteristic Raman peaks corresponding to the functional groups that determine color and structure of pigments were selected, and the variations in their peak intensities were calculated. The illumination-induced damage coefficients of four narrowband LEDs on three organic pigments were obtained, providing a data basis for illumination-induced damage evaluation equation proposed in this study, which was expected to further realize museum admission evaluation of the new fp-WLEDs.