Determination of the Polymer Content of an Unknown Sample by TGA-FTIR

It is nowadays very important to identify and analyze the constituents of unknown products and to quantitatively determine their individual contents [1]. Combined techniques such as TGA-MS (thermogravimetric analysis-mass spectrometry), TGA-FTIR (thermogravime- tric analysis-infrared spectroscopy) [2], and TGA-GC/MS (thermogravimetric analysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) [3] are very useful for this type of work.

Introduction

This example shows how easy it is to analyze the contents of an unknown plastic material using a TGA-FTIR. The technique allows both the quantitative composition and the chemical nature of the constituents to be determined. To characterize unknown materials, a useful first step is to measure an ATR infrared spectrum of the material.

This enables qualitative information about the main constituents to be obtained within a few minutes. For detailed analysis, we recommend the use of a TGA coupled to a suitable gas analyzer. In this article, a white molded component of unknown composition was analyzed by ATR spectroscopy, TGA, and TGA-FTIR in order to determine its constituents.

_{Determination of the polymer content of an unknown sample by TGA-FTIR | Thermal Analysis Application No. UC 487 | Application published in METTLER TOLEDO Thermal Analysis UserCom 48}