Interdiffusion of thin polymer layers studied by external reflection infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Polymer interdiffusion can be studied through analysis of the interface between two polymers, using techniques such as small-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle neutron scattering for systems where one component has been dispersed in the other and Rutherford backscattering forward recoil spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, neutron reflection, infrared microdensitometry, and ATR-infrared spectroscopy for bilayer samples. For these bilayer systems we have used an external reflection IR technique, evaluating the experimental spectra by comparison with simulated spectra of mixed and unmixed systems.