A comparative study involving transmission, reflection and photoacoustic FTIR techniques is presented with analysis of polyamide-6. The potential and limitations of these methods are investigated by analyzing structural variations that take place at the surface in the bulk in recycled and irradiated polyamide-6 with a 1.5 MeV electron beam with a 500kGY dose, in the presence of O2. FTIR techniques appear to be sensitive in detecting small structural changes that occur in recycled and irradiated polyamide-6. The analysis of samples indicated the formation of --OH, HOC=O-, - C=O groups. Also, small structural changes were detected which are characterisitic of NH and --CN-C=O groups. Transmission techniques show better the structural changes in the bulk, and microscopy-FTIR appears to be more sensitive in detecting what occurs at the sample surface.
Recycled polyamide-6; irradiated polyamide-6; infrared spectroscopy
