Am. Dobney et al., Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as a tool for studying heterogeneity within polymers, ANALYT CHIM, 423(1), 2000, pp. 9-19
The distribution (heterogeneous or homogeneous) of inorganic additives with
in an organic polymer phase is important because it directly influences the
physical and chemical properties of the polymer. Heterogeneity must also b
e assessed when producing reference materials. When producing a polymer ref
erence material certified for the concentrations of its inorganic additives
, assessment of heterogeneity is crucial. In this work the use of LA-ICP-MS
to demonstrate the occurrence of heterogeneity in polymers, and polyethyle
ne in particular, is described. The polymers studied were candidate referen
ce materials. The conclusions reached correspond well with those obtained b
y means of solid sampling-Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-ZAAS).
As LA-ICP-MS is a multi-elemental technique the data was obtained in a frac
tion of the time required by SS-ZAAS. Hence, LA-ICP-MS can be used as a scr
eening tool to quickly reject materials on the basis of unacceptable hetero
geneity, thereby avoiding unnecessary time-consuming SS-ZAAS analyses. (C)
2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.