Polymers for Advanced Technologies · 1996 · 88 citations · 0 references
EngineeringOrganic ChemistryChemistryChemical EngineeringEpoxy/amine KineticsAnalytical ChemistryPolymer ChemistryMolecular SpectroscopyBiophysicsChemical MeasurementPhotochemistryInfrared SpectroscopyEpoxy/amine FormulationsNear-infrared SpectroscopyMultifunctional FormulationsLaser PhotochemistryNatural SciencesSpectroscopySitu Real-time MonitoringChemical KineticsSpectroscopic Method
An experimental set-up for in situ real-time monitoring of chemical reactions by remote fiber optic near-infrared spectroscopy was assembled in our laboratory and is described in this communication. A series of epoxy/amine formulations, nonpolymer-forming, and polymerforming alike, were prepared and their reaction kinetics investigated. Accurate and reproducible spectra were generated, the characteristic near-infrared peaks assigned, and the reaction kinetics evaluated by monitoring the rates of disappearance and/or appearance of the characteristic peaks. The effect of the chemical structure and functionality of the components were pointed out and a method suggested to correlate the spectral information with the chemophysical changes in multifunctional formulations.