Microprocessor assisted ESR measurements of radical concentrations in polymers

The relative concentration of radical species created in polymers is difficult to measure accurately by ratios of peak heights due to the complexity of the spectra often encountered. Proper analysis of the data by double integration of spectra from strip chart plots is tedious and time consuming. In this paper a microprocessor is described which helps to alleviate these problems by performing an on-line baseline corrected double integration of the spectra with direct digital display. The combination of the microprocessor readout of double integrals with ESR dual cavity techniques to determine radical concentrations is discussed. The microprocessor described provides simple, inexpensive, immediate data analysis with measurement precision to within + - 11%. (author)