Mean penetration distance radiation

This discussion of geometric effects ignored the attenuation of radiation by material through which the radiation must travel to reach the receptor. The number of particles, dN, penetrating material, equals the number of particles incident N times a small penetration distance, dx, divided by the mean free path length of the type of particle in the type of material (equation 8.3-8). Integrating gives the transmission coefficient for the radiation (equation 8.3-9). 

As indicated above, the penetration depth is on the order of a micrometer. That means that in ATR, absorption of infrared radiation mostly occurs within a distance 8 of the surface and ATR is not as surface sensitive as some other surface analysis techniques. However, ATR, like all forms of infrared spectroscopy, is very sensitive to functional groups and is a powerful technique for characterizing the surface regions of polymers. 

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