TABLE OF CONTENTS Frequently, in work carried out to attempt to elucidate the microstructure of polymers and copolymers, it is found necessary to employ not one physical analytical technique, but a range of such techniques. The literature abounds in examples of this need. Judging by the number of papers published, three of the most useful and commonly used techniques are combinations of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) or infrared (IR) spectroscopy and matrix assisted laser desorption-ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or photon magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
To an appreciably less extent, other techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used in conjunction with IR or MALDI-TOF techniques.
Below is a brief review of those methods which are most useful for the elucidation of particular types of problems associated with the elucidation of polymer structure. A full review of these methods and their applications is given in Tables 9.1 to 9.15.
| Polymer | Technique | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Polyaniline- co-acrylonitrile | Characterisation | [1] |
| Isoprene- co-urethane | Molecular structure and morphology | [2] |
| Trisubstituted ethylene- co-styrene | Characterisation | [3] |
| Acrylic and dienic-4-chloromethyl styrene | Characterisation | [4] |
| Butadiene- co-styrene- trans-4-hydroxyl- R-proline cyclic esters | Effect of polymerisation conditions on polymer structure | [5] |
| Characterisation | [6] | |
| Ethylene, propylene and ?-olefin... |
