Polymer analysis

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a proven elemental analysis technique used in many industries. When X-rays strike atoms in a material, the atoms emit fluorescent “fingerprints” that indicate the elemental composition of the material. This data is crucial for compliance with global directives concerning toxic metal content such as RoHS-3, WEEE, and ELV.

Malvern Panalytical provides both cutting-edge XRF instrumentation and reference materials for polymer characterization, including ADPOL for additives and fillers analysis and TOXEL for accurate toxic elements analysis. 

Application Areas

• In plastic recycling, XRF is employed to identify and quantify the elemental makeup of recycled polymers, ensuring that contaminants and additives are within acceptable limits. This is critical for optimizing processing conditions, maintaining product quality, and meeting regulatory standards.
• XRF also helps pinpoint impurities that could adversely affect the mechanical and thermal properties of recycled plastics, ultimately guiding improvements in sorting and processing methods.
• Precise elemental characterization ensures that catalysts have the correct composition and optimal dispersion of active sites, which are essential for achieving high efficiency and selectivity in chemical reactions. With XRF, researchers can fine-tune catalyst formulations, monitor catalyst deactivation, and develop materials that are more robust and environmentally friendly.

Investigating the crystal structure and phase composition of polymers is fundamental to understanding and optimizing their performance characteristics. The arrangement of crystalline and amorphous regions within a polymer directly influences its mechanical strength, thermal stability, and chemical resistance, among other properties.

Malvern Panalytical’s X-ray diffraction (XRD) offering includes two best-in-class x-ray diffractometers, the Aeris and Empyrean.

Aeris

• Aeris is a compact XRD system that is designed for versatility, high data quality, and reproducibility.
• It’s the perfect solution for lab managers, university professors, and manufacturing professionals who need to measure crystalline properties in a variety of sample types. 
• With Aeris, users can enjoy the accuracy and capability of a large floor-standing unit, without the high cost of ownership or the need for specialized expertise.

Empyrean

• The Empyrean system has been designed for state-of-the-art data quality, including the much more demanding hard radiation applications. 
• It’s the only platform that does it all, delivering the best data quality on every sample type. It covers the largest set of X-ray diffraction, scattering, and imaging applications in one single instrument.

Both these instruments provide a crucial feature for polymer characterization: they are designed to be easily modified with hardware attachments and new software. For instance, Aeris’s modular build enables the easy addition of attachments and add-ons, and Empyrean’s PreFIX concept allows users to switch between different configurations without laborious re-alignment procedures, achieving unrivaled flexibility.

This flexibility also supports greater sustainability. With microplastics becoming a growing concern, future regulations are likely to tighten requirements for polymer screening to prevent environmental damage. Future-proofed XRD instruments are ready for any new analytical processes, giving deeper insights into the environmental impact of polymers.

Application Areas

• In R&D, researchers can predict how a polymer will behave under various processing conditions and environmental conditions by analyzing their crystalline structure.
• Such insights are also critical for ensuring consistent quality in industrial production.
• Understanding phase composition aids in identifying potential defects and areas for improvement, ultimately driving innovation in the design and development of advanced polymeric materials.

Particle size distribution analysis plays a crucial role in the field of polymers by providing essential insights into both the raw materials and the finished products. This analytical process helps characterize the size range and distribution of particles, which directly influences the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of the polymer.

Laser diffraction measures the angular variation in intensity of a scattered laser beam, and uses this to generate information on size distributions. The Mastersizer 3000+  is a versatile, compact LD instrument that aligns with the analytical requirements and demanding workflows of today’s laboratories.