Rapid Analysis of Textiles with Portable near Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

counterfeit detection, such as in the textile and other industries, as well as rapid analysis of agricultural products in the field, having instrumentation that can be taken to the samples and has the ability to provide qualitative (identification) as well as quantitative measurements is important. Applications of portable NIR in agricultural applications were recently reviewed, highlighting how the growing demands around product quality and authentication are being met by advances in instrumentation that can be used by non-expert users in the field for evaluation of produce, milk, grain etc. 4 Portable instrumentation that provides actionable data can greatly reduce the time required to determine the fate of samples, and can increase productivity in many ways. When it comes to seizure of suspect items, on-the-spot analysis can reduce the influx of suspicious, potentially harmful products. In the current application on quantification of cotton content in textile fabrics, the BW a portable instrument that can be taken on-site for direct analysis, simplifying the process of combatting counterfeit textiles. Experimental Diffuse reflectance NIR spectra of fabric samples were collected with the i-Spec Plus portable NIR spectrometer over a wavelength range of 900–1700 nm at a resolution of 3.5 nm. Scans were taken using an integration time of 1200 µs with 32× averaging. Samples were placed over the integrating sphere and held in place with a press holder that provides a flat surface with intimate contact to the quartz measurement window. Samples used were blended fabrics of varying cotton and polyester content, with cotton content ranging from 0.031% to 0.856% (percentage by mass) and polyester fibre content from 0.144% to 0.969%. A total of 27 samples were measured, with three scans per sample.