Orientation of Poly(ethane terephthalate) Fibers as Studied by Infrared Microscopy

Like polymer films, polymer monofilaments or fibers can become orientated during the manufacturing process. As the polymer is drawn through an extruder, the processing parameters play an important role to decide the polymer chain orientation, and thus the physical properties of the finished product. In this application note the orientation of PET fibers was characterized on the micro-scale using IR microscope. The Thermo Scientific Nicolet™ 6700 FT-IR spectrometer equipped with a Nicolet Continuμm™ infrared microscope was used for the analysis. The results indicate that the orientation of a single fiber can be characterized across the diameter when the sample is properly prepared.