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.