An application of secondary ion mass spectrometry to the analysis of fibrefinishes

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has been used to analyse the surface composition of a typical two-component finish applied to viscose fibres. T he lubricant and antistat components applied singly and as mixtures to pape r substrates were used to produce SIMS calibration spectra, The calibration data were used to analyse the surface composition of the finishes applied to viscose fibres from finish baths representing a wide range of ratios and several different application conditions. In addition, the bulk compositio n of deposited finishes was determined via solvent extraction and infrared analysis. The bulk composition of applied finishes correlated strongly with the finishing bath composition. The surface composition, as determined by SIMS, did not reflect directly the finish bath composition.