Open AccessPolarization modulated infrared spectroscopy: A pragmatic tool for polymer science and engineering
Author(s) -
Looijmans Stan F. S. P.,
Carmeli Enrico,
Puskar Ljiljana,
Ellis Gary,
Cavallo Dario,
Anderson Patrick D.,
Breemen Lambèrt C. A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
polymer crystallization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.443
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 2573-7619
DOI - 10.1002/pcr2.10138
Subject(s) - crystallinity , materials science , polymer , crystallization of polymers , infrared , polarization (electrochemistry) , infrared spectroscopy , crystallization , spectroscopy , synchrotron , diffraction , optics , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , composite material , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , engineering , quantum mechanics
In the area of polymer crystallization, the most widely used techniques to quantify structure, morphology and molecular orientation are fundamentally based on light or X‐ray scattering and absorption. In particular, synchrotron X‐rays are used for detailed studies on the semicrystalline structure in polymeric materials. The technical requirements for such techniques, especially when high spatial resolution is essential, make the application of X‐ray diffraction not straightforward. Direct information on the chain orientation in different semicrystalline morphologies requires rather complex sampling and analysis procedures. Surprisingly, a simple yet versatile technique based on infrared spectroscopy is hardly applied in the field of polymer crystallization. By modulating the polarization of the incident light, local anisotropy can be studied in real time on a submolecular length scale. In this article, we provide the relevant details of the polarization modulated infrared microspectroscopy technique for the study of semicrystalline materials from an engineering perspective. We demonstrate the essence of the method using as model systems spherulitic and transcrystalline morphologies and present its applicability to polymer/fiber composite technology and the study of injection‐molded parts. The results provided in the present work serve to illustrate the applicability of this informative technique in the field of semicrystalline polymer science.