Overview of Polymer Analysis:

Polymer characterization can be grouped into categories (with some overlap Bold Indicates Techniques Available to this Lab Class):

-Mechanical Testing
    Static/Semi-Static:  Instron
                                    Impact Testing
    Dynamic:  Dynamic Mechanical/Thermal Analysis (DMTA or DMA)
                      Creep/Stress Relaxation
                      Other specialized testing.
                      Dynamic Dielectric Measurement

-Rheological Testing
    Dilute/Semi-dilute Solution:  Intrinsic Viscosity Measurement
                                                   Couette Viscometer (Cup and bob viscometer)
    Melt Viscosity:  Couette Viscometer
                               Cone & Plate Viscometer  (Static or dynamic/oscillatory)
                               Plate & Plate Viscometer  (Static or dynamic/oscillatory)
                               Melt Index Measurement (Capillary Flow Measurement)

-Structure/Orientation
    Crystallographic:  X-ray Diffraction (Inverse Space)
                                 Transmission Electron Microscopy (Real Space/Inverse Space)
                                  Density Gradient Column for Degree of Crystallinity
    NanoScale:  Small-Angle X-ray Scattering, Small Angle Neutron Scattering (Inverse Space)
                        Scanning Electron Microscopy (Real Space/Elemental Analysis)
                        Atomic Force Microscopy (Real Space)
                        Dynamic Light Scattering
    Micron Scale (Colloidal Scale):  Static Light Scattering (Inverse Space)
                                                        Optical Microscopy (Real Space)

-Chemical/Molecular Structure
    Nuclear Magnetic Spectroscopy (Molecular Arrangement/Tacticity, Composition)
    Infrared Spectroscopy (Chemical Groups/Composition)
    Raman Scattering/Spectroscopy (Chemical Groups/Composition different sensitivity compared to IR)
    UV/Visible (Presence of polar or conjugated groups such as water, hydroxyl, etc.)
    Mass Spectroscopy with Chemical Analysis (Mass of degradation byproducts/low molecular weight additives, metallic/oxide fillers etc.)

-Molecular Weight and Structure
    Gel Permeation Chromatography/High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (with various detectors: Index of Refraction, IR, Light Scattering, Viscometer etc.)
    Intrinsic Viscometry
    Osmotic Pressure/Membrane Osmometry
    Light Scattering
    End Group Analysis

-Thermal Transitions/Thermodynamics
    Differential Scanning Calorimetry
    Differential Thermal Analysis
    Thermal Gravimetric Analysis
    Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis
    Dynamic Dielectric Spectroscopy

-Surface Analysis
    Ellipsometry (optical polarization measurement for index and thickness of surface coatings)
    Neutron or X-ray Reflectivity (Contrast gradient profile normal to the surface in electron density or neutron cross section)
    Contact Angle Measurement (Surface tension)
    X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS/ESCA) (Surface chemical analysis with some depth profile capabilities)
    TOF-SIMS (ablative technique for mass spec analysis of surface species)
    Specialized Optical Microscopy Techniques for Surface Analysis such as Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy and Fluorescence or IR Microscopy.