ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) can provide information about surface morphology, much like the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), but at a much higher resolution.  The AFM can look at phases in blends as well as the distribution of fillers and other additives based upon the differences in the densities of the materials.

 

DEFORMULATION

Often referred to as “reverse engineering”, deformulation is a systematic approach to determining the identity and quantity of the various components comprising a polymer compound or final product. It employs multiple disciplines to focus on specific ingredients so that a comparable product can be developed.

 

DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY

DSC determines a wide variety of thermal events involving heat change, either providing a way of categorizing a transition temperature or providing quantitative data on the degree of change.  Examples of information obtained by DSC include:  glass transitions, phase changes, crystalline transitions, blend compatibility, heats of vaporization and melting, purity determination, reaction kinetics, reaction onset temperatures, specific heat capacity, and oxidative reactions. 

ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY ANALYSIS

EDX provides the elemental composition of solids or powdered samples. Semi quantitative results can be obtained without the need for standards. In bulk EDX elements with atomic numbers greater than 10 can be detected. When used in conjunction with a SEM, elements with atomic numbers greater than 5 can be analyzed.

FAILURE ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION

Failure is a term used to describe any material or product that does not perform the way it was expected to perform. Failure analysis is the investigation of the cause(s) of failure and the recommendation of remedial steps to avoid future failures. Failures can be due to problems with the material, processing, design, or the environment.  It can involve the use of many analytical methods as well as the measurement of physical properties.

FIRE SCIENCE

Safety from the hazards of fires in buildings, homes and transportation vehicles is an important public goal. The fire science laboratory can evaluate a variety of flammability characteristics of materials including flame spread, smoke generation and heat released.

FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED (FTIR) SPECTROSCOPY

FT-IR Spectroscopy is a versatile and sensitive technique for the identification of chemical compounds in samples. In pure compounds and in simple mixtures, a complete identification of all components is often possible from the functional group “fingerprints.”  It is an excellent technique to determine polymer identification, to confirm composition of raw materials, verify compound composition, identify reaction products, surface analysis, contamination identification (particles as small as 20 µm) and quantitative determination of polymer compound compositions.

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

Gas Chromatography (GC) is employed when one wishes to separate and quantify volatile components in complex mixtures. It is especially important in residual monomer determinations. It is often combined with mass spectroscopy to allow for the individual components to be identified (aka GC-MS).

HIGH PERFORMANCE SIZE-EXCLUSION CHROMATOGRAPHY (HP-SEC)

High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography (HP-SEC or SEC), also known as Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), is used to fractionate a polymer sample according to the size of the molecules in solution. As such, it is the standard method for molecular weight determination.

 

LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Liquid Chromatography (LC) is a separation technique for the quantitative analysis of organic and ionic substances. It is ideally suited for those substances which are nonvolatile or thermally labile, making them unsuitable for gas chromatography.

MOISTURE ANALYSIS

Moisture can be determined separately from other volatiles using a Karl Fischer coulometric method.  In addition, several loss on drying methods also can be used to estimate moisture content.

NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROMETRY

NMR spectrometry is used to determine structure in organic compounds and to identify organic components in mixtures. The technique is well suited for analysis of high-boiling liquids and polymers that are soluble in organic solvents or in water. NMR can be used to determine purity of raw materials, identify residues, measure solution equilibrium,  determine copolymer composition, determine structure of organic compounds measure branching in polymers, analyze mixtures, measure kinetics of reactions, identify additives and to perform  quantitative analysis of mixtures by Proton NMR.

OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

The optical microscope is a tool for studying details of structure down to approximately 2 µm. Optical microscopes can be equipped with numerous accessories to enable the study of physical characteristics and chemical phenomena.

PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERIZATION

Particle size and its distribution is a measure of the diameters of the dry powders, latexes, suspensions and dispersions of powders, polymers and compounding ingredients.  Particle size issues affect smoothness of coatings, clarity, flow properties, mixing and dispersing characteristics, dust control, filtration, and many other properties.

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

By using the SEM, detailed images of a sample surface with considerable depth of focus can be obtained on solid specimens. Information can be obtained concerning size, shape, and texture on many materials. It is often used in conjunction with EDX.

THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS

TGA provides a continuous record of sample weight change during dynamic or isothermal heating. Various atmospheres can be used to investigate sample reactions. TGA also can be coupled with infrared spectroscopy (TGA/FTIR) or gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (TGA-GC/MS) to identify the evolved gases.  Some applications for TGA are:  weight loss/gain, drying rate, reactivity with atmospheres, oxidative degradation, reaction kinetics, volatilization analysis, compound composition, and stabilizer effectiveness.

THERMOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS

In TMA, the deformation of a sample under stress (compression, tension, flexure) is measured with temperature. Dilatometry measures sample dimensions under negligible load and can be performed on the TMA instrument as well.  Fibers and films can be analyzed as well.  Determinations by TMA include:  coefficient of linear expansion, glass transition, and shrinkage kinetics.

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

Thermal conductivity is a measurement to describe how heat transfers through a material and is an important material property. The Flash Method determines thermal conductivity by measuring the thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of a sample.

UV-VISIBLE SPECTROSCOPY

Virtually all common colorants absorb light strongly in the visible region of the spectrum, and many UV stabilizers and anti-oxidants have absorbance in the UV region. These absorbance characteristics make UV-Visible spectroscopy a powerful tool for the identification and quantitation of these types of components.

WEATHERING

Weathering is performed to determine the effect of light, heat, and moisture on a material sample or finished part. The weathering laboratory contains both QUV and Xenon-Arc weatherometers. Either the QUV or Xenon-Arc weatherometer protocols can be designed to simulate numerous conditions.

Typical Polymers Evaluated: 

• PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
• Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE)
• Nylons
• PC (polycarbonate)
• PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
• PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)
• PHBV (polyhydroxyvalerate – co – butyrate)
• PP (polypropylene)
• ABS (acrylonitrile –butadiene-styrene)
• Polyacrylates
• PVA (polyvinyl acetate or polyvinyl alcohol)
• Polyacital
• PEEK (polyetheretherketone)
• PPS (polyphenylene sulfide)
• PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate)
• PS (Polystyrene)
• PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)
• Biopolymers
• Polyurethanes
• Rubber
• TPE (thermoplastic elastomer)
• TPR (thermoplastic rubber)
• TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizates