Polymers and plastics
Polymers can be found everywhere. The range of plastic and polymer applications far exceeds that of any other traditional material, ranging from packaging materials, adhesives, foams, plastic containers, textiles, fibers as well as construction parts for spacecraft, aircraft and automobiles. While principally composed of long chain hydrocarbons, material properties are modified and adjusted by using a variety of additives for UV-radiation, chemical and fire resistance and well as color and strength.
For all tasks in polymer research, product development, and production quality control, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis can identify and quantify the concentrations of additives (pigments, fillers, flame retardants, stabilizers) like antimony, barium, bromium, calcium, chromium (for the RoHS/WEEE regulations), copper, phosphorus, titanium or zinc.
In addition, many plastic polymers have some order and can be identified and studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. These polymers are, at least in part, crystalline or pseudo-crystalline with partially ordered structures which cause diffraction peaks. The percent crystallinity is often related to processing methods and is of great importance in polymer chemistry. Other uses of XRD in plastics and polymers research and production include: determination of unit cell type and lattice parameters, determination of the microstructure, and determination of crystallographic orientation through pole figures.
Polymers can also be investigated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Either dissolved or as a solid, the SAXS technique can characterize polymers according to large scale internal structure. Rigaku technology and expertise are combined to provide a number of X-ray analytical products for these applications.
XRF
- Low-cost: Primini
- Inverted optics for press powders: ZSX Primus II
- Inclusion analysis with mapping: ZSX Primus, ZSX Primus II
- High-throughput: ZSX Primus, ZSX Primus II, Simultix 12
- Analysis without standards: Primini, ZSX Primus, ZSX Primus II, Simultix 12
- Automation: ZSX Primus, ZSX Primus II, Simultix 12
XRD
- High-power θ/θ goniometer system: TTRAX III
- Microdiffraction: RAPID II II
- Benchtop X-ray diffraction: MiniFlex™
- Multipurpose, high resolution and SAXS: SmartLab®, Ultima IV
- Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS): S-Max3000,
SMT ultra