FT-IR imaging of polymers: an industrial appraisal

Chemical structure and conformation and physical property anisotropy at the microscopic level can have a major influence on the macroscopic performance characteristics of polymer products. Images based on infrared spectral differences and changes generated using FT-IR microscopy techniques are becoming increasingly used to highlight both chemical structure variations and morphology gradients within polymer articles. This paper illustrates potential industrial applications to polymer characterisation and analysis using mid-infrared FT-IR microscopy systems fitted with focal plane array (FPA) detectors.