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The quantitative analysis of fluorocarbon polymer finishes on wool by FT‐IR spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Church Jeffrey S.,
Evans David J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1995.070571306
Subject(s) - fluorocarbon , polymer , attenuated total reflection , materials science , infrared spectroscopy , absorbance , polymer chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , composite material , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , engineering
Two contrasting infrared spectroscopic techniques, Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) and PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy (PAS), have been investigated as means for the determination of fluorocarbon polymer finishes on wool fabric. Based on the experimental conditions used, the results of the PAS method are more characteristic of the bulk sample, while the ATR results are more surface specific. Linear calibrations between polymer addon, as determined by total fluorine analysis, and the absorbance of the CF stretching bands of the normalized spectral data were obtained for a typical commercial fluorocarbon polymer. The correlation obtained for the PAS method was found to be significantly better than that of the ATR method. The lower limit of detection of fluorocarbon polymers on wool using the PAS technique was 0.25% on the weight of the wool (oww). In contrast, fluorocarbon polymer add‐ons as low as 0.125% oww (approximating monolayer coverage) could be analyzed using the ATR method. At high levels of add‐on, the ATR calibration deviated from linearity. This can be attributed to the distribution of fluorocarbon polymer on the surface of the fiber, in particular, the build up of polymer on the cuticle cell edge regions. The quantitative methods developed are used to help access the effects of wear and the subsequent heating of fluorocarbon polymer‐treated fabric samples. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.