Material Testing and Characterization
Material testing and characterization is a key function in assessing and ensuring the quality, properties, and behavior of a polymer or composite, and is thus an important step in guaranteeing the quality and success of your finished product. Polymer characterization and material characterization occur at the nano, atomic level of a material, analyzing the interactions and behavior of its “building blocks” to provide the information you need to determine whether the material is suited to your requirements. Laboratory techniques and analysis for characterization run a broad gamut — depending on the type of material, the end application, the properties and characteristics required, and the need for a destructive or non-destructive method.
The wide range of polymer materials testing methods available — some of which are listed in more detail below — means that expertise and experience are required to ensure that usable, actionable results are generated from the analysis. Testing can be time and resource intensive. Further, working with an expert in the field that can not only identify the correct test for your needs, but may also be able to identify efficiencies if multiple testing methods are recommended or required, can be the difference between a successful, on-time product delivery, and problems with quality, deadlines, and budget.
We can help meet all of your polymer materials testing and characterization needs. State-of-the-art polymer, composite and blend characterization techniques and equipment, a team of world-class analytical scientists, and the credibility provided by ISO-9001 certification as well as by GLP/CGMP (Good Laboratory Practices / Current Good Manufacturing Practices) registration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are all available to clients of Bicerano & Associates from our strategic partner for analytical laboratory services. We provide our consulting expertise in working closely with you to ensure that the most appropriate tests are performed and that their results are interpreted and utilized as effectively as possible.
Material Testing and Characterization Lab
Please contact us now at (912) 235-2238, use our online form, or email
If you prefer to learn more about our analytical laboratory resources before you contact us, please see the further information provided below regarding the capabilities.
Capabilities
- Material and molecular characterization for purity determination, identification of impurities and/or unknown components, measurement of properties, and deformulating products
- Characterization of volatile and semi-volatile materials by Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)
- Characterization of semi-volatile and nonvolatile materials by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
- Characterization of semi-volatile and nonvolatile materials by Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)
- Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 19F, 29Si)
- Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy
- Characterization of volatile organic compound (VOC) levels
- Elemental and trace metals analysis by ICP-MS and ICP-OES/AES testing
- Quantitation of reproductive toxins including bisphenol-A (BPA) and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in polymer materials
- BPA testing
- Analysis for extractables and leachables by using gas separation and liquid separation techniques
- Flash point measurement
- Aerosol flammability testing (US, Canadian, EU, and GHS Standards)
- Evaluation of product or material stability
- Polymer and composite material characterization
- Additive analysis
- Antioxidant testing
- Color body determination
- Failure analysis
- Material characterization
- Thermal properties testing (glass transition temperature, melting temperature, softening temperature, specific heat, degradation temperature, degradation rate, weight loss, thermal expansion coefficient, crystallinity, crystallization, phase transitions)
- Mechanical properties testing (yield, ultimate strength, ultimate deformation, toughness, fracture)
- Tensile testing (yield, ultimate strength, ultimate elongation, toughness, fracture)
- Rheological testing (viscoelastic properties, stress relaxation, melt viscosity, melt flow rate)
- Molecular weight determination (molecular weight distribution, polydispersity)
- Microscopy (optical microscopy, stereo microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microscopy, transmission electron microscopy)
- Determination of mixture compositions
- Osmometry
- Ion chromatography
- Wet chemistry (such as Karl-Fischer titration)
- Total organic carbon
- Development and/or validation of analytical methods specific to your sample matrix, active ingredient and desired instrumentation
- Assessment of compliance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)
- Assessment of compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP)
Looking for more information on this subject? Check out these posts from Dr. Bicerano's Blog: