Publications
Since 2004, PTG/e has supported many companies with its knowledge and expertise in the field of polymers. Some of our projects have resulted in patents and scientific publications. Information on these can be found on the Patents and Scientific Publications sections of this website. PTG/e news and other relevant news can be found in the News section.
Examples of projects we have performed in the past are highlighted in the Cases section.
Stretching the limits of rubber analysis
- Cases, Publications
Rubber products such as tires, gaskets or shock-absorbers are often complex products consisting of the rubber matrix along with many different filler materials and additives. Due to the complexity it is not always straightforward to analyse these products.
One of our customers is active in the automotive industry. After complaints from their customers, they noticed that a newly delivered rubber shock-absorber behaved differently in the field than previously delivered ones, while they should have been the same in terms of material composition and physical properties. They suspected their supplier may have changed the rubber composition of the newly delivered products.
In order for us to find out what caused the different behaviour and to check the rubber composition, they provided us with samples of a reference and a new rubber shock-absorber. We used a combination of techniques to analyse these rubber samples. By combining the results from the different techniques, we succeeded in explaining the behaviour difference of the rubber products.
The first technique we used was infrared spectroscopy (IR). This is a very powerful analysis technique, which gives information about the molecular structure of a rubber. Analysis, however, can be complicated due to the presence of carbon black. In this case we used that to our advantage. We found the baseline of one of the rubber samples was much more affected by the carbon black than the other one. This suggested there was a significant difference in carbon black content between the samples.
To quantify the carbon black amount present in both samples, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used. With TGA both samples were heated to 900 Β°C under nitrogen atmosphere, burning away the organic rubber part. By switching then the atmosphere to air, after reaching 900 Β°C, all carbon black was also burned away, leaving only inorganic fillers. During the whole analysis the sample weight was very accurately measured, to determine the weight percentages of the different rubber components. From the TGA analysis we also obtained information on the amount of oil present in the samples. Oils are often used in rubber to provide flexibility.
From the TGA analysis we concluded that the new rubber sample contained approximately 13% more carbon black compared to the reference sample. We also saw that in the reference sample a 10% higher oil content was present.
Both samples were also analysed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to compare the elemental composition. This analysis showed the reference sample contained much less sulphur compared to the new one. Since sulphur is known to be a crosslinker for rubber, this result suggested the new sample was more crosslinked, which increased its stiffness. This difference in stiffness was observed when comparing both reference and new samples.
By combining all results, we found the reference rubber sample had a lower carbon black content, a higher oil content and was less crosslinked. So we concluded that these differences in rubber composition made the newly delivered rubber shock-absorber more stiffer than the reference one. This explained the different behaviour in the field.
With the help of our independent report, our customer then could start discussions with their supplier about the quality of the delivered rubber shock absorbers.
While there are much more properties that can be of interest, many of which we can help you with, the aforementioned techniques have proven very useful to our customer. Because your productβs quality is our priority, contact us to find out how we can help you maintain it. If you are interested in our complete rubber analysis package, feel free to contact us!
Drawing Line
- News, Publications
A drawing line is used to stretch films and fibers in one direction, improving mechanical properties such as stiffness and tensile strength in that direction.
The custom-built Retech drawing line used for this process consists of three draw units and a winder. The oven plates and rolls have independent temperature controls, and the drawing speed is variable in several areas, forcing the material to stretch at specific ratios. After stretching, the resulting oriented monofilaments or tapes are wound onto metal or cardboard tubes for analysis or further processing at your facilities. For a successful test, a minimum starting length of 15 meters is required.
Recent test results:
- PP tapes: Stiffness increased by 20x
- PVDF tapes: Tensile strength improved by 10x
- PEEK tapes: Stiffness improved by 4x, tensile strength by 6x
Curious about how PTG/eβs drawing line can boost your material’s performance? Please donβt hesitate to contact us for more information!
TGA-IR-GC-MS: A powerful evolved gas analysis technique
- News, Publications
The TGA-IR-GC-MS analysis is an analytical method that integrates three powerful techniques: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). When combined, they form an analytical synergy that provides comprehensive information on a material’s chemical properties. TGA-IR-GC-MS analysis is a powerful evolved gas analysis technique which we are using at PTG/e for many different applications.
Some examples of projects we have carried out for our customers are:
- Polyurethane characterization: Identifying the building blocks of polyurethanes, which can be valuable for material development.
- Ink formulation analysis: Determining the composition of unknown cured ink formulations.
- Polymer analysis: Identifying plasticizers and additives in polymers, which is essential for understanding polymer properties.
- Thermal degradation studies: Investigating the thermal degradation of various polymers, which gives information about their use in various applications.
How does it work?
The TGA-IR-GC-MS analysis is an analytical method that integrates three powerful techniques: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Each of these techniques offer unique insights into a material’s composition, molecular structure, and thermal behavior. However, when combined, they form an analytical synergy that provides comprehensive information on a material’s chemical properties.
TGA-IR-GC-MS setup with the TGA (right), the infrared gas cell (middle) and the GC-MS (left), coupled by the transfer line.
Within PTG/e’s infrastructure, TGA, IR, and GC-MS equipment can be combined with a heated transfer line. The TGA technique quantifies a sample’s weight change as a function of temperature or time. It subjects the sample to a precisely controlled temperature program while continuously monitoring its weight. This enables the determination of critical information related to a material’s thermal stability and decomposition behavior.
Thermogram of a polymer material, showing the weight percentage as a function of temperature.Β
The gas that evolves from the sample by evaporation or thermal decomposition during the TGA measurement, is transferred via the heated transfer line through the IR gas-cell to be measured with IR spectroscopy. IR spectroscopy uses the interaction between infrared light with the molecular bonds within the evolved gas, which is unique for each type of material. The spectrum that results from this technique reveals valuable details about the functional groups within the evolving gases, aiding in the identification of chemical bonds, molecular structure, and functional groups of the original sample.
The overall absorbance during the online IR measurement (left), with the infrared spectrum at the peak of the thermal decomposition (right).
The gases that evolve from the sample at a specific temperature during the TGA measurement, can be collected to inject into the GC-MS. In GC the gasses (which are likely to be mixtures of various components) pass through a separation column, separating the individual components based on their volatility and column affinity. Then, MS analyzes these separated components, providing information regarding their molecular mass and fragmentation patterns. This helps identify the components released during thermal degradation of the material, providing further insight into the original composition of the material.
Gas chromatogram of the injected gas. The peaks indicate the response of the MS detector, showing the mass spectrum of the eluted component.
The flexibility of the whole evolved gas system offers several combinations of techniques including: TGA-IR, TGA-MS, TGA-GC-MS and TGA-IR-GC-MS analyses. This makes it possible to select the best combination of techniques to answer the material questions.
In conclusion, the combination of the TGA, IR, and GC-MS techniques presents a potent analytical tool capable of resolving complex and unknown material challenges.
For further information on how this analysis can benefit your specific material analysis needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
PTG Eindhoven SusInkCoat partner
- News, Publications
π¦π¨π¦π§πππ‘ππππ ππ‘ππ§π¦ & ππ’ππ§ππ‘ππ¦
PTG Eindhoven partner of NWO consortium SusInkCoat.
We are proud to announce that we are a partner in the consortium SusInkCoat. The consortium has received a grant of 35 million euros from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for the project “Sustainable Inks and Coatings.
” Comprising companies such as AkzoNobel, Evonik, and Canon, along with academic institutions like Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG), TU Eindhoven (TU/e) and the University of Twente (UT), the consortium aims to collaborate on developing ‘switchable and adaptive functional polymers and additives’ with a lower environmental impact.
The objective is to pioneer new materials, processes, and applications to improve the sustainability, functionality, and recyclability of coatings, thin films, and inks. The project places a strong emphasis on making coatings and inks more sustainable, with a focus on reducing environmental impact and promoting circularity.
For more information about SusInkCoat click here.Β
NEW UV-vis Spectroscopy
- News
We are excited to announce a new addition to our infrastructure, UV-vis spectroscopy. UV-vis spectroscopy is a powerful tool for determining how molecules and materials interact with light. For a range of wavelengths, a beam of monochrome light is passed through the sample.
Suitable samples absorb part of the light within a specific wavelength range, which provides information on the concentration of certain molecules in a sample when compared to a reference of known concentration. Additionally, UV-vis spectroscopy can be used to follow the kinetics of (chemical) reactions occurring in a sample over time.
Curious about what UV-vis can do for you? Feel free to reach out and discover the possibilities
Small-Scale Polyolefin Reactors
- News
Polyolefins are among the most widely used plastics in the world. With roughly 80 million tons being produced every year, polyethylene is the most well-known and most important polyolefin in the world. Other well-known polyolefins are polypropylene (PP), polybutylene (PB) and polyisobutylene (PIB). The properties of these polyolefins are crucial for the role they need to fulfill in all sorts of products such as packaging materials, furniture and electronics.
To be able to reach certain properties, the synthesis parameters must be controlled precisely during polymerization. In order to achieve the best settings, a lot of research is still being done. Because every system is different and requires its own set of parameters, optimization on small scale synthesis is a mandatory step before getting a pilot plant followed by industrial scale up.
PTG/e owns a unique platform of not one but five small scale polyolefin reactors. The reactors are designed for testing homogeneous as well as heterogeneous catalysts in slurry or solution. The four 125 mL and one 1 L autoclaves can be used to optimize the olefin polymerization process for different monomers, catalysts as well as synthesis conditions as they are equipped with extensive parameter monitoring. With such a setup, we can perform different experiments simultaneously, making it a highly efficient and quick way to test various parameters, such as temperature, pressure and ethylene/propylene uptake. In addition, olefin polymerization reactions can be quenched with carbon dioxide and the catalysts can be rejuvenated or can undergo chain transfer via the introduction of controlled small amounts of hydrogen.
If you are interested, please feel free to reach out, to discuss how our small scale olefin polymerization platform can benefit your projects.
