Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a quality control tool

In today's competitive environment, excellence is the basic concept in the manufacturing work place and in the final product. To achieve such a requirement, strict and strongest quality control measure for both the raw material (including intermediate) and the product becomes essential. This, in turn, calls for the use of methods/techniques which can deliver accurate and reproducible results in the shortest possible time and require minimal sample handling and manual involvement. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is one such tool which has great potential for meeting the above requirement. An attempt has been made to review the state of the art in the application of FTIR in the area of carbon fiber composites.