Polymers

Polymers are present in virtually all products we interact with daily. With increasing environmental awareness, polymer science is looking at more novel and complex solutions to improve functionality and reduce environmental impact. These requirements often exceed the limits of traditional IR microscopy, especially when it comes to spatial resolution. The mIRage IR Microscope, with its unique submicron spatial resolution using a non-contact reflection mode technique, is able to meet even the most demanding of analytical and sample characterization needs.

Submicron IR+Raman Microplastics

mIRage locates PS (0.9 µm, 2.0 µm, 4.5 µm and 10 µm) and PMMA beads (3.0 µm) in salt crystal mixture in hi-res IR images at key absorption bands. Distortion free spectra, even amongst salt crystals at hotspots, confirm the identity of the microplastics and readily searched against IR database. Importantly, and unlike traditional FTIR/QCL systems, spectra are consistent, regardless of particle shape or size when measured in reflection mode – no dispersive scatter artefacts.

O-PTIR – polymer (PLA-ACM) phase dispersions

IR spectroscopy for direct fiber characterization

O-PTIR spectra of PP-based nanofibers with 800 nm diameter

Imaging and spectroscopy of bioplastic laminates

O-PTIR Scan of Bioplastic Laminate

Linear sampling scan spanning 8.0 µm measured every 100 nm apart (plotted only every 200 nm and across 2 µm for clarity) across the boundary of the bioplastic laminate, moving from the pure PHBHx layer to the pure PLA layer.

Gradual spectral changes over the space much greater than the optical resolution suggest the mixed distribution of PLA and PHBHx without any sharp boundary.

No clear isosbestic point indicates that the system is not a simple binary mixture.

PLA and PHBHx contributions are overlapped and mingled in the fingerprint region

Little to no sample preparation of a multilayer film

Submicron spatial resolution between film layers