PVC determination

Determination of PVC
Determination of PVC

Poly vinyl chloride, commonly known as PVC, is a type of polymer produced from petroleum or natural gas and salt in petrochemical plants. This polymer is blended with the help of a number of additives, formed at high temperature and made into plastic. From a chemical point of view, PVC is one of the rare thermoplastics with chlorine automat in the polymer chain. Since there is chlorine in it, the flammability temperature of PVC is quite high. The flame automatically extinguishes when the source of fire is removed.

PVC is used in a wide range of areas from construction to packaging and packaging, from various applications in medicine to electrical and electronic materials, from automotive to production of various consumer goods and to textile sector.

In principle, the membrane material is a special kind of fabric obtained by the weaving of fibers, the carrier elements of these systems. Nylon, polyester and glass fiber fibers are used in membrane structures. Membrane covers are open to outdoor weather conditions. Therefore, a number of chemical coating processes are applied to protect the fibers from external factors and to provide water and air tightness to the fabric. Sometimes an additional coating is applied over the main coating. These surface coatings are generally PVC (poly vinyl chloride), PTFE (poly tetra fluoro ethylene) or silicone.

In the laboratories accredited by domestic and foreign accreditation organizations, PVC determination procedures are also performed. The methods used during these studies are as follows:

  • Beilstein test
  • Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)

The Beilstein test is based on the formation of copper and copper halides of halogen compounds by the effect of heat. In this case, a blue-green flame emerges. It is a method for determining whether the test sample contains halogen. It is a simple and qualitative chemical test method.

Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) is a method that obtains infrared spectra from the test sample.