Table 1 Comparison of different FT-IR approaches for analyzing textile fibers
From: Reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy as a viable option for textile fiber identification
Textile sample type/property | ATR-FT-IR spectrometer | ATR-FT-IR microspectrometer | r-FT-IR microspectrometer |
|---|---|---|---|
Fragile sample | Applying pressure can damage the sample High pressure should not be applied; spectrum quality might decrease | Applying pressure can cause damage, but since the sampling area is significantly smaller than regular ATR, the damage is very small | Non-contact approach Enables analyzing the sample without any alteration |
Thick sample | Penetration depth is few μm to few tens of μm Fibers inside the fabric are not likely missed | Spectrum is recorded only from the surface Fibers in the inner part of the thread might be missed | |
Uneven sample surface | Not a problem if enough pressure is applied, but high pressure may damage the sample | More difficult to get high-quality spectrum Scattering from the surface is extensive | |
Extraneous material on sample fibers (additives or contaminants) | Penetration depth is few to few tens of μm [33] Surface contamination can have influence on the spectrum | Spectrum is recorded only from the surface Extraneous material on the surface can completely mask some fiber’s bands and show additional bands | |
Very small thread (less than 10 individual fibers) | Quality of the spectrum can be poor | Micro-ATR tip area of few μm diameter enables obtaining spectra from very small samples Using MCT detector ensures good spectral quality | Spectrum may be distorted if the measured area (aperture) is larger than the sample thread itself |