Evolved Gas Analysis and Multi-Step Pyrolysis: Two Powerful Tools for Polymer Analysis

A vast number of chemical species are being used as polymer additives. These additives can become a major challenge in the quality control process. A singlestep pyrolysis GC/MS analysis often produces cluttered chromatograms without adequate separation between residual solvents, pyrolysis fragments, contaminants, and additives. Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) in conjunction with multi-step pyrolysis can address this challenge. EGA provides thermal information which can be used to select appropriate multi-step temperatures. Each thermally sliced chromatogram will provide ample separation to yield well-resolved information.

A transparency sheet, 100µg, was added to a Drop-In-Sample Chamber (DISC) tube and analyzed with a CDS 6150 Pyroprobe connected to a GC/ MS containing a fused silica column. The sheet underwent EGA at 50°C per minute from 50°C to 800°C, sending vapors directly to the MS detector. This temperature ramp up rate is 2.5 times faster than traditional thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).