In-situ real-time monitoring of processes by remote Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Novel experimental setups for remote near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy were assembled in our laboratory and are described in this communication. We can conduct in-situ real-time monitoring of practically any combination of processes and operating conditions, while at the same time enjoying the benefits of the ummatched wealth of molecular-level information contained in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Attractive possibilities tor the application of our monitoring setups exist in diverse areas, including the aerospace industry for the processing of composites, the medical field for the transmission of laser energy into various parts of the human body, the pharmaceutical industry for measurements of dissolution rates of capsules and tablets, the chemical industry for polymerization, catalysis, separation and extraction, etc. In this article, we demonstrate the applicability of our technique for in-situ real-time monitoring of chemical reactions that occur in a scries of non-polymer-forming and polymer-forming mixtures.