Infrared reflectance techniques applied to silica particles diameter determination - theoretical and experimental...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Silica's properties vary with particle diameter, crucial for applications like aerospace thermal protection.
• Traditional particle size determination methods are labor-intensive, involving drying, sieving, and refractive index measurements.
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-FTIR) in reflectance mode is underutilized for particle size analysis, especially in the near-infrared (NIR) region.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) methodologies for silica particle diameter determination.
• To compare diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) in the middle infrared (MIR) and near-infrared analysis (NIRA) for accuracy and precision.
• To validate the developed methods against existing literature and experimental data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized FT-IR spectroscopy in diffuse reflectance mode (DRIFT) in the middle infrared (MIR) region.
• Employed near-infrared analysis (NIRA) for reflectance measurements.
• Applied both methodologies to silica samples for particle diameter determination.

Main Results:

• Both DRIFT (MIR) and NIRA (NIR) methodologies yielded effective results for silica particle size determination.
• NIRA demonstrated higher precision compared to DRIFT, as confirmed by test sample analysis.
• Smaller errors in absorbance measurements were observed for small and intermediate particle sizes, aligning with existing research.

Conclusions:

• FT-IR spectroscopy, particularly NIRA, offers a viable and precise alternative for determining silica particle diameter.
• The developed methodologies provide efficient tools for material characterization in fields like aerospace.
• Further exploration of NIR spectroscopy for particle size analysis is warranted.