Evaluation of chemical protective clothing by FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy

An attenuated total reflectance (ATR) permeation cell has been used to evaluate the permeation of polymer samples from chemical protective clothing (CPC), mainly gloves, by several chemical types including a solvent, a commercial pesticide mix, and a volatile solid. Good contact between sample and ATR crystal was ensured by the use of low gas pressure. The passage of the chemicals through the CPC sample could be readily followed by analysis of sets of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra measured during permeation experiments. Diffusion coefficients could only be estimated. The ATR method is compared with the traditional two-compartment cell used for evaluation of CPC, and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed.