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Elemental Analysis for Rubber, Plastics & Polymers by EDXRF / XRF - Plastics & Resins
Polymers and plastics are materials composed of repeating hydrocarbon structural units, typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. Today, polymers can be found everywhere, with a range of applications far exceeding that of any other traditional material, from packaging materials, adhesives, foams, plastic containers, textiles, fibers, and construction parts in airplanes and automobiles. The list of polymers includes: Rubber, Bakelite, Neoprene, Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), High impact polystyrene (HIPS), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyester (PES), Polyamides – Nylon (PA), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polyurethanes (PU), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), Polyethylene (PE), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polyetherimide (PEI), Phenolics (PF), Urea-formaldehyde (UF), Melamine formaldehyde (MF), Polylactic acid (PLA), Silicone, and many more.EDXRF, a primary type of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), provides quick, multi-element analysis in a wide range of matrices, even in the most challenging sample types. EDXRF systems are easy to use and offer a low cost of ownership. These advantages make Rigaku EDXRF products a reliable choice for many applications.
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Stabilizers, Fire Retardants, Pigments & Fillers
During development and production, the compounds in polymers have to be controlled strictly to meet national and international regulations, avoiding potential danger due to hazardous and toxic substances. Directives for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), as well as End of Life Vehicle (ELV), include restrictions for the use of cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), chromium (VI) (Cr) and poly-brominated (Br) flame retardants (PBB and PBDE) in order to mitigate potential risks to health or environment. For all tasks in polymer R&D and production, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy can identify and quantify concentrations of the aforementioned additives - as well as antimony, barium, calcium, copper, phosphorus, titanium, zinc, and all other elements from sodium through uranium.
Semiquantitative Elemental Analysis without Standards
The Rigaku NEX CG II energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer is powered by a powerful qualitative and quantitative analytical software, RPF-SQX, that features Rigaku Profile Fitting (RPF) technology. The software allows semi-quantitative analysis of almost all sample types without standards — and rigorous quantitative analysis with standards. Featuring Rigaku's Scatter FP XRF method, the software can automatically estimate the concentration of unobserved low atomic number elements (H to F) and provide appropriate corrections.
RPF-SQX EDXRF software greatly reduces the number of required standards for a given level of calibration fit, as compared to conventional EDXRF analytical software. As standards are expensive and can be difficult to obtain for newly developed materials, the utility of having a Rigaku NEX CG EDXRF spectrometer can significantly lower costs and reduce workload requirements for routine elemental analysis needs.