Use of a Thermal Extraction Unit for Furnace-type Pyrolysis: Suitability for the Analysis of Polymers by Pyrolysis/GC/MS

Abstract

Taking advantage of the characteristic features of a thermal extraction unit for quantitative analysis, it has been possible to extend its utility to furnace-type pyrolysis of polymers. Pyrolisis is achieved by accurate temperature programming of the pyrolysis cell from ambient to very high temperatures (e.g. 600 °C). The suitability of the thermal extraction unit for use as a pyrolyzer has been evaluated by analyzing several model polymers by pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py/GC/MS). The results obtained using the thermal extraction unit were in agreement with previously published data, demonstrating the suitability of the unit for the use as a pyrolyzer. The main advantages of the technique are: (i) good reproducibility, (ii) minimum secondary reactions, (iii) capability for quantitative analysis, and (iv) minimum sample handling. These advantages make the thermal extraction unit a very attractive apparatus for the routine pyrolysis of polymers. Although high resolution and tandem mass spectrometric techniques can be coupled with the thermal extraction unit to provide extensive structural information, in the present work, widely available, simple and low cost GC/MS instrumentation was used to generate characteristic polymer information. The utility of the new technique has been demonstrated by the GC/MS analysis of an unknown plant polymer.