The Applications of Infrared Spectroscopy to Polymers, Particularly 1,3 Diene Polymers

Abstract

Abstract As a result of the discovery of methods for making stereospecific polymers, the whole field of polymer chemistry has broadened considerably from its state in the early post-war years. Infrared spectroscopy has played an important role in the study and development of such polymers and has been applied to the study of polymer features which were not considered before the advent of stereospecific polymers. The present review is concerned with some of these applications, particularly to 1,3 diene polymers, such as microstructure determinations, polymer spectra and structures, isomerization, degree of crystallinity, vulcanization, and rubber derivatives. The survey covers the literature to the end of 1960. Some of these applications are discussed in a book edited by Clark and applications of infrared spectroscopy to other types of polymers are also discussed there. Krimm has published an excellent paper on the theoretical analyses of some polymer spectra which leads to assignments of many of the bands in the spectra of the polymers. Diene polymers were not discussed by him but the method he developed should be applicable to such polymers.