3D FT-IR imaging spectroscopy of phase-separation in a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(l-lactic acid) blend

In the present study, 3D FT-IR spectroscopic imaging measurements were applied to study the phase separation of a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) (50:50 wt.%) polymer blend film. While in 2D projection imaging the z-dependent information is overlapped, thereby complicating the analysis, FT-IR spectro-micro-tomography, obtained from computed tomographic back projection calculations, results in distinct 3D chemical images that provide detailed information of phase separation of the two polymer components that are well separated.