Reverse Engineering of Polymer Materials and Coatings by GC/MS Pyrolysis

Polymers are critical element of many materials, including plastics, formulated paints, coatings, adhesives, rubber, and more. And when it comes to competitive product research, reverse engineering of polymer materials is critical. Uncovering the structural composition from molecules to macroscopic applications is essential. This includes the use of high-performance polymers and Nanomaterials to augment properties requiring as little as 0.1% – a minimum percolation threshold for the desired property.

During this webinar, we’ll demonstrate the capabilities of micro-furnace pyrolysis-GC/MS and its versatility for reverse engineering, product development, and failure mechanisms of various polymers. Several examples will be highlighted, including polymers, coatings, adhesives, and paints chemical characterization. This webinar will offer powerful insight into the power and capabilities of the Frontier EGA/PY-3030D pyrolysis instrument.

Attendees will:

• Learn how the micro-furnace Pyrolysis-GC/MS technique with its different modes of operations is used for material and polymer chemical composition characterization.
• Discover how Pyrolysis-GC/MS can be applied to quality control, deformulation, contamination, identifying unknowns, and failure analyses while increasing laboratory efficiency by eliminating sample pretreatment and the “traditional” solvent-based techniques.
• Learn how different types of polymers are identified and quantified using the micro-furnace pyrolysis-GC/MS technique.

Presenter: Dr. Rigoberto Advincula (Professor, Case Western Reserve University)

Rigoberto Advincula is Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Fellow of the Polymer Science and Engineering Division (ACS), Fellow of the Polymer Chemistry Division (ACS). He is also a member of NACE, SPE, ERG, MRS, and AAAS and a frequently sought out speaker and expert in polymer materials, coatings, and sensors. He recently has been appointed to the World Economic Forum, Advanced Materials Council. He received the Herman Mark Scholar Award in 2013 from the ACS and recently nominated to the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of the Philippines. He is Editor in Chief of MRS Communications and also former Editor of Reactive and Functional Polymers and Polymer Reviews. He sits and has previously served on the Editorial Board of a number of other major polymer journals. He was Chair of the Polymer Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society in 2015 and is a Committee Chair with NACE. He is the Director of PETRO Case. His group does research in polymer materials, nanocomposites, colloidal science, hybrid materials, and ultrathin films towards applications from display coatings to biomedical devices. He is also pioneering a number of 3D printing routes towards new polymer and nanocomposite materials properties. He consults for a number of companies focusing on the most challenging problems and definition of structure-property relationships towards commercial applications.

Presenter: Rojin Belganeh (Technical Director, Frontier Lab Americas)

Rojin Belganeh is the Technical Director at Frontier Lab Americas. Rojin graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She started her profession as an analytical chemist at Nalco Champion-An Ecolab company in 2012. As an analytical chemist, Rojin worked with various analytical instruments, such as Pyrolysis GCMS, TGA, FTIR, and X-Rays for material characterization, polymer identification, and contamination analysis. She also holds an MBA degree concentrating in strategic marketing from the University of Houston-Victoria. As a former user for more than five years, Rojin joined Frontier Laboratories in May of 2017. She is very passionate in creating awareness about Frontier technology and providing technical support to users.