Using Terahertz Spectroscopy for Observing the Kinetics of Recrystallisation of Polybutene-1

Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves

February 2013, Volume 34, Issue 2, pp 187-193
doi: 10.1007/s10762-013-9956-8

Authors: V. Křesálek, T. Gavenda
More details at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10762-013-9956-8

Abstract

This paper deals with the use of terahertz spectroscopy for observing the kinetics of recrystallisation of polybutene-1 as a suitable material for manufacturing optical elements in the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum. These materials were studied from the perspective of their optical properties – the refractive index and the absorption coefficient. The time dependencies of the refractive index and the absorption coefficient were measured, because polybutene-1 is a material which recrystallises for a number of days from the date of its manufacture. The coefficients describing the recrystallisation process were calculated from the fitting function derived from the Avrami equation. In this paper, the measurement results are presented and the possibilities of the use of the studied materials are discussed.

...Measurement was conducted by a TPS^TM Spectra 3000...Thickness was measured at 12 points of each sample to achieve the desired accuracy, after averaging the measured values. The calculation of the refractive index and absorption coefficient was performed with the TPS^TM Spectra 3000 software, with air as the reference value...