Nanofoam porosity measured by infrared spectroscopy and refractive index

Infrared spectroscopy and optical waveguide were used to determine the porosity of polymer nanofoams produced from block copolymers of an aromatic polyimide endcapped with either poly(propylene oxide) or poly(a-methylstyrene). The infrared absorption bands and film thickness were compared to those of the neat homopolymer to yield an accurate measure of the void content. The porosity was also determined by measuring the refractive index and using the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory for spherical particles. Both techniques are in quantitative agreement with density gradient methods.