08/18/2016
It's all made of plastic! - Analysis of polymers using Raman-Spectroskopie
"Plastic" has become something of a dirty word. It makes us think of trash and environmental pollution, inferior quality, mass-produced goods, and excess. But if you take a look around, you will realize that a lot of the objects that surround us - including those that we couldn't live without - are also made of plastic.
That's no accident: as synthetic organic polymers, plastics have the advantage that their properties can be perfectly adapted to their intended use - unlike most natural materials - and they can also be manufactured inexpensively. Thanks to their versatility, plastics have become established in all areas of our lives. Whatever their use - whether it is food packaging, flooring, or textile fibers - plastics have to meet quality criteria which are often determined by standards. To ensure that they satisfy the quality requirements, analyses must be carried out at every stage of production, from the raw materials to the reaction conditions and intermediate products, right up to the final product.