Real-time observation of structural change in semi-crystalline polymer films through mid-IR transmission spectroscopy: determination of instantaneous film temperature during recrystallization.

We report the real-time observation of entire structural change in dye-doped semi-crystalline polymer (polyethylene) films through mid-IR transmission spectroscopy. The laser-heated dye molecules heat the polymer film through thermal diffusion, and accordingly the polymer film undergoes the structural change from the crystalline to amorphous structures, which is followed by the reverse structural change, namely recrystallization, during the natural cooling. By tuning the mid-IR probe pulse to one of the few structure-sensitive vibrational modes and varying the time delay between the pump and probe pulses we can monitor the structural change of the polymer film and time-varying film temperature during recrystallization through the transmission change of the resonant mid-IR probe pulse with the time-resolution of sub-μs.