Pressure cell for optical studies of polymer solids and solutions in the range 10^-3-10⁹ Pa

A pressure cell for optical studies of solid (films) and liquid samples in the range 10^-3-10⁹ Pa is described. Glass ampoules with externally degassed liquid samples are broken inside an evacuated high-pressure cell. This procedure allows measurement of UV, visible, IR and emission spectra of degassed samples in vacuum or in the presence of various gases. The pressure cell has been designed for the study of charge-transfer contact complexes between oxygen and polymers and of high-pressure photo-oxidation of polymers.