FaraPack Polymers: Analysis of polymers

FaraPack Polymers offers access to a wide selection of analytical techniques including some of the latest instrumentation under development at the University of Sheffield. Coupled with detailed interpretation by our analytical scientists, materials failure analysis, molecular weight determination, chemical composition and mechanical properties testing can all be run quickly and accurately, allowing you to better understand your materials and processes, and to formulate effective solutions to problems when required.

FT/IR: Infra-red spectra taken of two medical coatings.

Chemical Composition

Infra-red analysis: FTIR/ATR
NMR
Electrospray mass spectrometry
ICP mass spectrometry
Wide angle X-ray scattering

Example: FT/IR: Infra-red spectra taken of two medical coatings using attenuated total reflectance (ATR). The spectra obtained revealed that both coatings were polyurethane based, but importantly that one contained polyether based soft segments and the other polycarbonate based soft segments. This information enabled new coatings for the medical devices to be sourced by FaraPack Polymers which were resistant to hydrolysis and chemical attack (see figure above right).

Rheometer: Image of the TA instruments AR G2 rheometer.

Physical Properties

Hardness testing (Shore, Barcol)
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA)
Rheology (Viscosity)
Contact angles
Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA)
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)

Example: Rheometer: Image of the TA instruments AR G2 rheometer equipped with cone and Peltier plate geometry. Equipment has been used to study the rhemometry of polyacrylate materials used as viscosity modifiers in printing inks and paints. In particular the viscosities of the polymers were measured and the shear-thinning and shear-thickening behaviours of the materials were investigated (see photograph right).

GPC chromatograms of two samples of PEEK.

Chromatography

High Performance Liquid Chromatography
Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)

Example: GPC chromatograms of two samples of polyetherether ketone (PEEK), a high performance thermoplastic that is difficult to analyse via GPC due to its chemical resistance, however, in this case a derivatisation process was employed by FaraPack Polymers which enabled conventional chloroform:methanol GPC to be used to calculate the molecular weights and polydispersities of the PEEK samples (see figure right).

EDAX SEM Microscope: SEM microscope coupled with an EDAX detector.

Microscopy and Spectroscopy

UV/Vis spectroscopy
Fluorescence spectroscopy
Confocal and optical microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy
IR and Raman microscopy

Example: EDAX SEM Microscope: SEM microscope coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDAX) detector. Operating in EDAX mode the microscope has been used to locate tracer elements which were incorporated into a polymer blend in order to understand more about the phase separation processes occurring within the polymer blends (see photograph right).

Surface Analysis

FaraPack Polymers Offers access to a wide range of state-of-the-art surface analytical techniques, which are routinely used for evaluation of biomedical and electronic devices.