APPLICATIONS OF PROTON-INDUCED X-RAY-EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY TO TIRE MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATIONS

Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) is a spectroscopic analysis techn ique based on detecting the emitted radiation from an atom excited upo n interaction with a high-energy proton. It has been used to quantitat ively determine to ppm levels, the elements present in a variety of su bstrates including inorganic, organic and biological samples. The tech nique is particularly applicable to quantifying the inorganic material s present in rubber compounds: non-black fillers (clay silica, talc), oxides (magnesium, titanium, zinc), colbalt adhesion promoters and tot al sulfur The non-destructive nature of the experiment and facile samp le preparation make PIXE measurements particularly useful when only sm all quantities of material are available. PIXE in conjunction with cha racterization techniques that-afford structural information of specifi c compounding ingredients, can afford precise analytical characterizat ions of rubber compounds.