Accurate Characterization of Polymers and Additives in Personal Care Products and Packaging by Fast-Scanning IR

Most items bought today come in some sort of packaging, from blister packs and filled polymers, to biodegradable bags. These plastics need to be characterized and classically this is done by physical and optical tests or chromatographic techniques. This application note demonstrates how Infra-red spectroscopy can been utilized to scan samples in either transmission or reflectance using an ATR accessory, such as the Buck Scientific M500 IR Spectrometer with a Thin-Film Holder to qualitatively identify and quantitatively measure the relative composition of major polymers and additives used in manufacturing.