Some relevant aspects of the use of FTIR associated techniques in the study of surfaces and coatings

This paper summarises some relevant aspects of techniques associated with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, such as attenuated total reflectance (ATR), photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), diffuse internal reflectance (DRIFT), microscopy (InspectIR) and, for comparative purposes, the traditional KBr pellet sample preparation technique. It also demonstrates the main advantages of the PAS/FTIR technique in the study of surfaces and coatings, before and after exposure in natural atmospheric conditions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.