Laser Raman Studies of Fibrous Polymer - a Review

This review covers the development of understanding of polymer morphology of fibrous polymers using Raman Spectroscopy. Morphology refers to form and structure that a polymer exhibit and is influenced by the local microstructure of the back-bone chain. In chain like polymer molecules, the vibration of the carbon chain is easily studied by using Raman spectroscopy. The utility of this technique in characterization of polymer morphology, identification of phase composition and determining changes in orientation in drawn polymeric materials is presented. Work carried out on fibrous structures that are subjected to uniform stress or strain and their responses as monitored by laser Raman have been documented. Nondestructive techniques like Raman Spectroscopy are required for the identification of materials in many applications such as in forensic science, quality assurance and fabric defects analysis on the basis of morphology of individual components. Outcome drawn from the analysis of applications from these fields are presented in this paper.