Polymerisation kinetics and cure studies

IR and Raman spectroscopies are both tools that may be useful for monitoring polymerisation rates and cure mechanisms, particularly sequential time-lapse measurements of functional group concentrations at predefined intervals when utilising multichannel Raman or rapid-scan FTIR or FT-Raman detection. 

FTIR spectroscopy techniques have been variously and successfully applied to the study of polyurethane systems. Several studies have used its sensitivity to isocyanate absorption near 2250 cm to follow the kinetics of reaction of polyurethane preparations [e.g. 108-110], and monitored changes by ATR techniques in free and hydrogen-bonded urethane and urea groups in 

An internal-reflection prism cell has been used for reaction-kinetics measurement of styrene-unsaturated polyester resins at elevated curing temperatures and pressures [133]. Other researchers have estimated the cross-linking efficiency in methyl methacrylate-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate copolymer networks by laser Raman spectroscopy [134], while recently 

FT-Raman studies of thermally and photochemically induced epoxy curing reactions have been reported [135]. In some instances pulsed sources may be required to overcome thermal emission problems. 

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