Identification of textile fiber by terahertz spectroscopy

We developed a novel differentiation technique for most textile fibers using terahertz (THz) transmittance spectroscopy. As demonstrations, several kinds of plant-derived fibers, animal fibers, and artificial fibers were milled at 77 K, and were examined by THz spectroscopy in the range from 0.5 to 6.2 THz. Absorption spectra of a majority of textile fibers are distinguishable by THz spectroscopy, even for fibers in the same category or species. The advantage of this technique is its sensitivity to the structural differences of the textile fibers, even if they consist largely of the same components.