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HT-NMR
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy at high temperatures for plastics analysis
Project duration
From: 01.03.2023 To: 31.08.2025Description
Laboratory analysis plays a crucial role in the manufacturing and processing of plastic products. Dynamic differential calorimetry (DSC) is the standard method for determining thermal properties. Rheometers and various dynamic mechanical tests also allow the rheological and mechanical behavior of plastics to be described at defined temperatures. However, these methods have the disadvantage that the samples or test specimens for the respective tests must be prepared, which can be laborious and affect reproducibility.
Magnetic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in conjunction with sample heating offers another possibility for characterizing plastics. Since NMR is sensitive to molecular chain mobility, changes caused by sample temperature can easily be detected. Additionally, larger sample quantities in the gram range can be measured quickly without time-consuming preparation. However, commercially available benchtop NMR devices with temperature control are currently limited to a sample temperature of 200 °C. This severely restricts their use for characterizing plastics because higher temperatures are often required in this field.
To address this issue, the project developed a benchtop HT-NMR device that allows for sample temperatures of up to 300 °C. The device was tested in seven different analysis scenarios for plastics. Tests were carried out to identify material mixtures, characterize melting processes, determine the degree of cross-linking and moisture content, and characterize the curing processes of adhesives. Initial approaches to determining crystallinity were also evaluated.
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