Analysis of Sole Materials by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

To study the feasibility of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the identification of different brands of sole materials, 29 black sole materials samples of leather shoes were collected and analyzed by FTIR. Among them, 24 samples were from different brands or types and 5 samples were from the same brand with the same batch of the same manufacturer. According to the characteristics of the band numbers, band positions, band shapes in infrared spectroscopy, 29 samples can be divided into 3 categories; the sole material samples of the same kind had similar IR features, but also had many difference in the relative band height ratios and some weak absorption band in fingerprint region. In addition, the infrared spectral characteristics are basically the same in sole material samples from the same brand with the same batch of the same manufacturer, denoting that FTIR is an effective method for the determination of sole materials and can provide the type identification and comparative analysis for various kinds of sole materials and the scratches that left from the scene.