Advancing Polymers For a Better Future, Today
Products made from polymers are all around us – from safe and hygienic food and personal care packaging to clothing made of synthetic fibers that protect us from harmful UV rays, polymers are a critical part of our daily lives. The versatility of plastics makes them a lightweight, cost-effective option for replacing traditional materials like wood, metal, ceramics, and glass across applications in the building and construction, automotive, and household segments. Success of plastics is partly driven by their durability; yet, it has also led to an accumulation of plastic waste in the environment due to improper end-of-life waste handling.
High environmental cost of plastics waste is placing significant pressure on scientists and engineers in the polymers industry to innovate and develop more sustainable materials that account for end-of-life waste management while still maintaining product performance. TA Instruments’ robust polymer analysis solutions are designed to support your laboratory’s drive for innovation, so you can focus on building sustainable solutions for a better future, today.
Sustainability in Polymers Drives Innovation
Demand from consumers, brand owners and public policy are driving a need for sustainability in plastics, affecting companies at every stage of plastics production – from resin manufacturers, to compounders, masterbatchers and converters. In response, the plastics industry is tackling the problem of plastics waste through a wide range of sustainable solutions including the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) and post-industrial recycled (PIR) resins, bio-sourced/ bio-degradable polymers, and the development of new and innovative polymers that are designed with end-of-life recycling considerations. Of these options, there is a strong focus on the use of recycled resins due to brand owner commitments mandating and regulatory landscape minimum quantities of post-consumer content in new products.
For the plastics industry, the processing of PCR resins introduces a new set of challenges due to the inherent variability and contamination in the waste plastic feedstock, especially when compared to well-characterized batches of virgin resins. Further, recycled resins have to be incorporated without compromising the product performance that customers and consumers expect. In an increasingly dynamic market space, the growing demand for high-performance, sustainable materials and intense competition create a heightened sense of urgency for polymer companies to innovate while responding to and staying ahead of these broader market trends.
Polymer analysis solutions from Waters | TA Instruments enable R&D scientists and process engineers to characterize complex recycled resin feedstocks more effectively and explore their impact on their products and processes while improving the operational efficiency of their analytical laboratories. Accelerate product innovation, implement process improvements, and position your lab for success in meeting your organization’s sustainability goals with an in-depth understanding of polymer processing and functional properties with Waters | TA’s broad portfolio of thermal analyzers, rheometers and mechanical testers.
Polymers Resources
Polymer Characterization & Analytical Testing Across the Supply Chain
Measure fundamental polymer properties, such as melting point, crystallinity, and viscoelasticity, with ease through thermal analysis, rheology, and mechanical testing. At every stage of product development and manufacturing, accurate measurements enable you to optimize processing conditions and improve product performance under end-use conditions.
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Application Notes
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) as a Screening Tool for Plastic Waste Pyrolysis
- DSC: Oxidative Stability of Polyethylene Terephthalate
- DSC: Comparison of Crystallization Behavior of Different Colored Parts Made from PP Using a Single DSC Experiment
- DSC: Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastic Analysis Using the Discovery X3 DSC
- DSC: Comparison of the Thermal Behavior of Different Types of Recycled PET for Advanced Honeycomb Structures
- TGA: Estimation of Polymer Lifetime by TGA Decomposition Kinetics
- TGA: Effect of Thermal Degradation on Polymer Thermal Properties
- TGA: Thermal Degradation Study of Nylon 66 using Hyphenation Techniques TGA-MS and TGA-FTIR-GC/MS
- Rheology: Understanding Rheology of Thermoplastic Polymers
- DMA: Measurement of Glass Transition Temperatures by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis and Rheology
- Rheology: Using Rheolgoy and Thermal Analysis to Help Optimize Processing Conditions of Recycled PET
- DMA: Characterization of Bio-Derived Polymer Under Controlled Humidity
- View all Application Notes