Abstract
Attenuated Total Reflection infrared spectra were obtained for rough and spheroidal powders made from an amorphous polymer. The spectra were recorded with a polarizer to obtain both parallel and perpendicular components of the spectra separately. The results were compared to both theoretical predictions and experimental results for the same material examined as a film. It was found that the relative absorption intensities of the two polarization spectra recorded of the film agreed well with the theory for films. However, the powdered samples showed unexpected increases in absorption intensities for the perpendicular spectra. The intensities of the absorptions for perpendicular polarization were about 45% greater than for films as measured by the ratio of relative effective thicknesses. Implications for interpretation of the spectra of powdered materials are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.