Easy Identification of Plastics and Rubbers

Polymers are found in every aspect of our daily lives. Materials must be carefully selected to ensure that properties match performance requirements.

It is often necessary to understand the chemical nature of a material to determine whether it is suitable for a particular application. This book gives guidance on the simple identification of different polymeric materials. Flow charts describe a step-by-step approach to determining the chemical nature of an unknown specimen, starting with simple studies of behaviour on heating and ranging to preparing samples for infrared spectroscopy. The infrared spectra of standard polymers are included for reference.

The book contains sections on:

• Test methods
• Interpreting infrared spectra
• Flow charts for the identification of unknown samples
• Thermoplastics
• Thermosets
• Elastomers

Characteristics of individual polymeric materials are described, including chemical structures, behaviour in tests, common applications and trade names. The infrared spectrum for each polymer is included together with an interpretation of the peaks seen.

Polymer technologists, researchers, scientists, technicians, and students of polymer science will all find this a useful text. It is written in a very practical, easy to follow style. Undergraduate students tested the methodology, bringing samples from waste to identify in the laboratories.