Application of ATR-FT-IR Single-Fiber Analysis for the Identification of a Foreign Polymer in Textile Matrix

Identification of foreign fibers in yarn or fabric is of great interest to textile manufacturers. The goal of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of single-fiber ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy to achieve prompt identification of foreign polymer brought into fibers during spinning. Testing of several fibers with different fineness proved the method's suitability for fast identification of foreign polymer. Owing to the nondestructive character of the method, the identification of foreign polymer was confirmed by other methods applied to the same samples, namely, melting temperature measurement and optical microscopy. The additional method for detection of foreign fiber by using image analysis was also applied.