POLARIZED FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED MICROSCOPY AS A TOOL FOR STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF ADSORBATES IN MOLECULAR-SIEVES

Using FTIR microscopy with polarized IR radiation on silicalite I single crystals fully loaded with p-xylene, the existence of an ordered adsorbate could be proven for the first time by IR spectroscopy. By analyzing the polarized absorption bands the orientation of the p-xylene molecules relative to the host structure could be determined. The results agree well with structural data obtained from X-ray diffraction experiments. These first results suggest that polarized IR microscopy could develop into a powerful tool for the analysis of adsorbate structures, assisting in complete structure resolution by diffraction techniques.