ABSTRACT
Infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy are becoming increasingly important tools for the inves tigation of polymer systems (1). As sampling techniques, lasers, detection systems, computers, and software become more sophisticated, previous limitations of these techniques continue to be overcome. For example, it is now possible to examine a variety of polymer systems in situ (2), when previously off-line measurements were most common. Infrared spectroscopy is still used more extensively than Raman techniques. However, with the advent of inexpensive laser light sources, Raman spectroscopy has developed as a complementary technique (3). Once re garded solely as a laboratory technique, Raman spectroscopy can now be used for on-line process analysis and environmental monitoring. For example, there are now commercially available, portable, on-line Raman systems containing various novel lasers, fiberoptic sampling probes, charge couple device (CCD) detectors, and complete computer analysis systems.
