The Use of the Spectrometric Technique FTIR-ATR to Examine the Polymers Surface

The development of material engineering is accompanied by a growing demand for routine, nondestructive techniques for material and product testing. These techniques are to be used for the assessment of chemical and physical structure of new materials as well as for a systematic control of their manufacturing processes. Nowadays nanotechnologies fulfill a particular role in creating new materials of nanometric dimensions. The products of nanotechnology are made in various forms, mostly such as coatings and fibers. Coatings are of great practical importance while deposited on conventional substrates, such as metals, ceramics and polymers to impart new functions, e.g. anticorrosive, reflexive, sensory properties, etc., to them. Coatings are mostly made of polymers and hence their functional properties and durability mainly depend on polymer chemical and supermolecular structure. The current control tests of the chemical properties and supermolecular characteristic of materials are carried out with the use of IR absorption spectroscopy. Currently, these are dedicated to test the surface of materials. This paper concerns the spectroscopic technique FTIR used to test the surface of polymeric materials and coatings formed on polymeric substrates. The general characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of this technique in testing polymer surfaces have been presented.