Polymer/additive analysis by flash pyrolysis techniques

Additive analysis may be carried out by the examination of extracts, dissolutions of polymeric materials, by hydrolysis, by non-destructive spectroscopic (in-polymer) testing of solid or melt, or by destructive testing using thermal methods (thermal analysis, pyrolysis, thermal desorption and laser ablation) mainly through the examination of volatiles released. Thermo-analytical methods are especially useful in characterising intrinsically insoluble polymers, such as cross-linked materials. Other materials, such as drying oils and lacquers, may become insoluble and non-volatile on ageing, which renders them unsuitable for conventional analysis requiring solubility (e.g. HPLC) or high volatility (e.g. GC). This paper reviews the applicability of various flash pyrolysis methods (PyGC, PyMS, PyGC-MS) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of additives in polymeric materials. Advantages and limitations of the various techniques are illustrated. Ways are indicated to render pyrolysis methods competitive to other polymer/additive analysis techniques in the R + D laboratory. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.