Polymer chemistry: Plastic testing lab

Polymer Chemistry

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EAG has significant expertise in polymer chemistry and offers a complete range of analyses for polymers and composites. We can provide analytical services from basic characterization of materials to investigations involving complex problems. Plastic materials can be found in a wide variety of industries, including medical devices, packaging, coatings, sporting goods, toys, industrial products, construction materials, consumer goods and more. In our plastic testing labs, we use analytical instrumentation such as FTIR, TGA, DSC, mDSC, TMA, DMA, GPC, GC/MS, LC/MS, Optical Microscopy, NMR, SEM/EDS, XPS, TOF-SIMS and Pyrolysis-GC-MS. Our experts have years of experience designing technical projects and interpreting data to investigate challenges such as:

Deformulation (reverse engineering) of a competitor’s product
Establish root cause for product failures such as premature breakage
Investigate additives in a polymer sample
Polymer identification projects
Identification of suspected contaminated materials
Determine the source of malodor or the cause for unexpected color variations
Compare good vs. bad samples to understand cause for differences in polymer chemistry

Polymer Chemistry Examples

We have extensive experience in plastic and polymer analysis and processing. Our polymer and plastic testing experts have investigated a wide range of polymeric materials, including:

Thermoplastics
Thermosets
Elastomers
Rubbers
Composites
Polyurethanes
Single-layer and multi-layer films
Adhesives & sealants
Paints & coatings
Packaging
High-performance engineered polymers
Specialty polymers
Conductive polymers
Bio-polymers
Liquid crystal polymers
Resins

Biomedical Polymer Chemistry

EAG Laboratories has special expertise in biomedical polymer chemistry. As industry leaders in deformulation (reverse engineering), our scientists can characterize the composition of medical plastics, determining raw materials and additives. In addition, we offer a strategic combination of physical and chemical testing to answer specific biomedical polymer questions.

From failures to contamination issues, EAG has investigated a wide variety of medical plastics, including catheters, implants, membranes, filters, coatings, sutures, flexible tubing, dental materials, orthopedic prostheses, containers, protective devices and more.

Examples of problems solved for the medical device industry include

Analyzed polymeric materials to evaluate products for resin composition
Identified a black speck contaminant in a device
Investigated product failure of a polyurethane catheter
Deformulated a detector strip in support of an intellectual property case
Performed polymer analysis to investigate biodegradation of an implanted device

EAG’s polymer investigations focus on the chemistry of these formulated products, as well as evaluating their physical and mechanical properties. Depending on our clients’ needs, EAG can offer a strategic combination of physical and chemical testing to address specific questions. We apply multiple analytical techniques, such as spectroscopy, chromatography and microscopy to examine the composition of plastic and polymer products. ASTM testing lab methods are also available.

Physical and mechanical property testing can include:

Tensile, modulus and elongation
Adhesive strength
Compressibility
Cross-sectional multiple layer-film thickness
Thermal properties (including glass transition, melting point, thermal expansion and crystallinity)

Related Resources

Chemical composition analyses can include:

Chemical classification including base polymer characterization and polymer identification
Molecular weight distribution by GPC
Total molecular weight (including absolute and high temperature) by GPC
End group analysis
Co-polymer backbone chemistry, co-monomer contents/ratios, polymer blends
Additive identification including anti-oxidants, UV stabilizers, process aids, fillers