Organic or inorganic materials, Imperia’s Materials Engineering Laboratory has the tools to characterize the chemistry of both:
Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS): Elemental analysis of samples for elements with an atomic number as light as Boron and higher. Mostly used for the identification of inorganic materials. It is also useful to identify inorganic additives in polymeric materials (catalyst, filler, etc.). The EDS is coupled with the SEM, so the chemical composition of defects and anomalies can be studied.
Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR): FTIR is mostly used to identify the nature of organic materials but also to observe changes in their chemistry due to aging, environmental factors, or change of suppliers. Imperia’s FTIR can analyze gas, liquid, and solid (with ATR attachment). Imperia also has an IR-microscope that is useful to identify organic impurities or coating layers.
Gas-Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: Volatile and Semi-volatile organic compounds (boiling point below 392ºF) can be identified with this technique. It is very useful to identify the organic additives in polymer formulation or contaminants as this technique is sensitive to parts per billion.
