May 18 2006
PANalytical has launched a set of certified reference materials for the calibration of key additives in plastics and polymers. The new ADPOL standards are designed for use in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and were developed in conjunction with DSM Resolve, an independent laboratory renowned for its expertise in a wide range of analytical areas.
A variety of organic and inorganic compounds are commonly used in order to enhance or suppress specific properties during polymer and plastic manufacturing. These must be monitored and controlled during production. Currently polymer manufacturers need to determine the levels of more than 60 chemical elements in concentrations ranging from percent to ppb.
In the polymer industry, XRF spectroscopy is a commonly used analytical method to quantitatively determine the concentrations of additives. XRF provides important advantages compared to other more time-consuming or even destructive analytical techniques.
The ADPOL standards cover ten of the more commonly used elements – F, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ca, Ti and Zn - in polyethylene. Every ADPOL set contains four replicates of each of four multi-element standards and a blank. The standards themselves are presented as easy-to-clean, solid, pressed discs 40 mm in diameter and 2 mm thick.
ADPOL standards are available solely through PANalytical and its local representatives. They are, of course, designed to work perfectly with the company’s proprietary MiniPal 4 and Axios-Poly XRF systems, but are also a reliable standard for any other analytical XRF equipment.