Applications of vibrational spectroscopy to the analysis of novel coatings

Precise analysis is essential to the development of novel coating technolog ies and to the systematic modification of metal surfaces. Ideally, these an alysis techniques will provide molecular information and will be sensitive to changes in the chemical environment of interfacial species. Many of the techniques available in the field of vibrational spectroscopy demonstrate s ome of these characteristics. Examples of the ways in which FT-IR spectrosc opy are applied to the investigation of coatings at AFRL will be described. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), specular reflectance and photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) are important techniques for the analysis of surfaces. Both ATR and PAS can be used to provide depth-profiling information crucial for the study of coatings. Recent developments in digital signal processin g (DSP) and step scan interferometry which have dramatically improved the r eliability and ease of use of PAS for depth analysis will be discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.