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Chemistry Forums for Students => Analytical Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: ahitc2014 on October 17, 2014, 01:32:34 AM

Title: FTIR for fabric
Post by: ahitc2014 on October 17, 2014, 01:32:34 AM

Hi all,

I am not a chemist but I have great interest in learning new analytic techniques and am a curious soul.

I want to find out if it is possible to remove all formulation from a wet cloth so I get a dried fabric that I can perform FTIR on to find out the blend. I know that the formulation contains these chemicals: Glycerine,
Glyceril Polyacrylate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, p-anisic acid, carbomer, citric acid,coco-glucoside,
glycerate oleate, lauryl glucoside, polyglyceryl-2- dipolyhydroxystearate, phenoxyethanol

Thanks

Title: Re: FTIR for fabric
Post by: Corribus on October 17, 2014, 09:53:31 AM

It's easy to analyze fabrics and other polymers using FTIR-ATR. Most instruments even have comprehensive spectral libraries that can identify the substance for you.

(Note that if the fabric has coatings or other additives, these will be detected as well.)

Title: Re: FTIR for fabric
Post by: Arkcon on October 17, 2014, 10:30:34 AM

I didn't know fabrics could be read with an ATR, so thanks Corribus.  Looks like all of the ingredients are water soluble, so its just a matter of removing all of them by repeated rinsing.  Maybe you can use your FTIR to determine when the rinseate is clear, then dry and scan your fabric.

Title: Re: FTIR for fabric
Post by: Corribus on October 17, 2014, 12:15:05 PM

I've never done fabrics myself, but you can take a spectrum of just about anything you can press into the crystal. Polymer films are a piece of cake; we do it all the time on packaging materials. And textiles are just woven polymers, after all. Now that you mention it, though, it might be fun to try. I'll go take a spectrum of some cotton and some polyester and see what kind of differences there are.

I did a really quick google search for "ATR and fabric" and turned up a few immediate hits, so definitely possible.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014486170400298X

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/app.21449/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+the+18th+October+from+10%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance+for+approximately+two+hours+as+we+make+upgrades+to+improve+our+services+to+you

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00405000.2013.827900

It's really the nice thing about ATR. You can get good IR spectra on samples that would be impossible using a traditional instrument. You just have to keep in mind that only the very top layers of surface of the material can be probed, so surface impurities can really matter.