Investigating Material Characteristics and Morphology of Polymers Using Terahertz Technologies

The high transmittance of polymers in the terahertz (THz) frequency range is certainly the main reason for the pronounced interest this class of materials receives from the community. Polymers are commonly applied as base material for optical components, sample carriers, or simply test samples, in most fields of THz spectroscopy and imaging. On the other hand, polymers offer an important opportunity for demonstrating the potential of THz technologies as versatile tool for analytical investigations. In this paper, we summarize some recent technical advances underlining the suitability of THz spectroscopy and imaging for material characterization and contact-free testing. The absorption coefficient and refractive index of several biodegradable polymers before and after aging in water are reported. Furthermore, the influence of additive agglomeration in elastomers complements the evaluation of this review of the analytical potential of THz technologies with respect to polymers.