FTIR and DSC of polymer films used for packaging : LLDPE , PP and PVDC

Polymers are compounds used in various materials. There are a plethora of methods used to analyze the composition and other properties of the material; these include Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The profiles of the DSC display varying melting peaks and glass transition regions for different samples. This indicates that DSC can be used to determine different qualities of polymeric materials which include, but are not limited to, high density character, low density character, amorphousness, and semi crystallinity. We found from the DSC profile that the melting point for various polyethylene samples range from approximately 120-130 degrees C. The DSC profile for the polypropylene (PP) shows peaks at 163 and 156 degrees C at the main and secondary melting peaks respectively. The DSC profile for Stretch-Tite does not even have melting peaks. It instead has glass transition regions found at approximately 60 and 95 degrees C. The lack of a melting peak in the polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) sample is indicative of an amorphous polymer.