ANALYSIS OF CARBON BLACK-FILLED RUBBER MATERIALS BY EXTERNAL REFLECTION FT-IR SPECTROMETRY

External reflection Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry in combination with partial least-squares regression allows qualitative and quantitative analysis of rubber materials with a high carbon black content (up to 35% w/w) on a routine level. The method developed prov es to be reproducible and yields reliable qualitative information. The prediction potential of the method is shown to be sufficient for (sem i)quantitative analysis. Proper selection of spectral windows greatly improves the results. It is shown that natural, butadiene, and styrene butadiene rubber can be determined with a precision of 9, 8, and 6% w/ w, respectively.