Use of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry to characterize composites and polymers

Miscellaneous · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7302734

Lerner, B D

Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) combine the high tensile strength of carbon fibers with a highly crosslinked polymer matrix. Typically the carbon fibers are in the form of a cloth which is preimpregnated with a mixture of either unreacted monomers or partially reacted oligomers that are polymerized at high temperatures and pressures. For the product to have the desired mechanical properties, the prepreg must undergo the expected crosslinking reaction and this process is susceptible to small changes in the composition of the reactants that can occur on atmospheric exposure. In this dissertation the use of diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry as a means of characterizing small compositional changes occurring in epoxy and polyimide prepregs was evaluated. Prepregs were aged under similar conditions of temperature and humidity. Several methods of analyzing the spectra were investigated, ranging from the simple measurement of the ratio of two bands in the spectra to the combined use of Fourier self-deconvolution (FSD) and curve-fitting. Useful data on the epoxy polymers was obtained using each of these techniques, with the most linear plots of the spectral changes with time being obtained using combined FSD and curve-fitting. The development of several different types of step-scanning FT-IR spectrometers is described. Installation of a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) behind the movable mirror of the interferometer allows positional control to an accuracy of [+-]1.5 nm. Three coarse positioning drives, based on a dc motor, an Inchworm PZT drive, and a microstepper motor, were evaluated. Each permitted the desired level of positional accuracy, but none permitted the optical element to be stepped to the next sampling point in less than 0.5 s. The use of Fourier transforms to demodulate the sinusoidal signal from a phase-modulated interferogram was demonstrated.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Riverside, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7302734
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
EPOXIDES
INFRARED SPECTRA
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
DESIGN
REINFORCED MATERIALS
CARBON FIBERS
DATA ANALYSIS
FIBERS
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
400102* - Chemical & Spectral Procedures
360602 - Other Materials- Structure & Phase Studies