title: Humidity-dependent dynamic infrared linear dichroism study of a poly(ester urethane).
abstract: Fourier transform infrared techniques, infrared difference spectroscopy and dynamic infrared linear dichroism (DIRLD), have been utilized to explore the effects of humidity and water absorption on a poly(ester urethane). An environmental infrared microbalance cell was used to measure the infrared spectra as a function of humidity and accompanying weight change for the absorption-desorption processes. The infrared difference data indicate that exposure to humidity affects the hydrogen-bonding interactions in the polymer. Dynamic infrared linear dichroism studies in tensile deformation mode as a function of humidity demonstrate how changes in water content affect the orientational response of functional groups. Complex behavior as a function of humidity for functional groups involved in hydrogen bonding indicates that water absorbed by the polymer affects the micro-environments near these functional groups.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. schoons@lanl.gov
authors.forename: Jon R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schoonover
authors.forename: Warren P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Steckle
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Cliff T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Yanqia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gillikin
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D006813:Humidity; D007700:Kinetics; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D011140:Polyurethanes; C009879:estane plastic; C081821:microthane foam