Extruder-Raman | Combining Extrusion and Raman Spectroscopy: Monitoring Concentrations of a Polymer Blend in Real-Time
The combination of TwinLab twin screw extruder with Cora 5001 Raman spectrometer allows in-situ monitoring of chemical and compositional changes over time
Blending of polymers such as polycarbonate (PC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is key to achieving the specified mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of final polymer products. These include, for example, strength, optical clarity and impact resistance.
The actual properties vary with the relative concentrations of the constituent polymers in the blend. The correct composition needs to be ensured by proper dosing/mixing according to the formulation. This process can be subject to errors, e.g. wrong input materials, operator errors in picking and dosing materials by volume or weight, inhomogeneous mixing or compromised material integrity.
Controlling the relative concentration of each component during extrusion is crucial to ensuring consistent material properties and meet customer as well as regulatory acceptance criteria.
In-situ process monitoring using Raman spectroscopy enables real-time quantification of polymer composition. This improves analytical efficiency and eliminates the time lag for offline analysis, allowing for an immediate corrective action in contrast to offline measurements, that pose the risk of disposing entire batch(es) with non-conformities.
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