Abstract
The principle and applications of multiple–angle incidence resolution spectrometry (MAIRS) coupled with infrared spectroscopy are described for analysis of molecular architecture in a polymer thin film. Material characters of polymer are often difficult to discuss from a view point of the chemical structure of the monomer unit, since the characters are largely influenced not only by the monomeric structure, but by inter– or intra–molecular interactions. To understand the relationship between the material character and the fundamental unit, therefore, anisotropic molecular interactions should appropriately be revealed. To do that, infrared spectroscopy is powerful, and a newly innovated technique of MAIRS is particularly useful. In this review, the physical concept of this technique is briefly introduced, followed by an application study using MAIRS for revealing anisotropic molecular structure and interactions in a dipcoated thin film of linear polyethyleneimine deposited on a germanium substrate.
