Polymer Analysis Training Courses

Introduction to Polymer Melt Rheology

This one-day training course will cover the fundamentals of polymer melt rheology, detailing both theoretical and practical concepts. The course will include presentations in the classroom as well as hands-on operation of rheometer instrumentation. Attendees will learn how to correctly conduct rheological measurements and how to properly interpret measured data. Every participant will receive a copy of A practical approach to Rheology and Rheometry by Gebhard Schramm.

Course Outline:

• Introduction to rheology and basic rheology terminology
• Overview of polymer flow behavior and the relationship between polymer structure and viscosity
• Temperature and shear rate dependence of viscosity and how it relates to polymer processability
• Fundamentals of rheological testing: Capillary vs. rotational shear rheometers
• Introduction to viscoelasticity and its impact on polymer melt behavior
• Data interpretation for injection molding and process optimization
• Applied case studies: How rheology was used to solve real-world problems

Instructor: Dr. Fabian Meyer

Fabian Meyer studied chemistry at the University of Hamburg, Germany and completed his doctorate at the Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry in 2008. His dissertation focused on the comparison of rheo-optical and rheo-mechanical material functions of diluted biopolymer solutions. From 2009 to 2013, Fabian was the Rheology Applications Specialist for North America at Thermo Scientific in Tewksbury, MA. In 2013, he became part of the applications support team at the Material Characterization headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany. Fabian has been leading the team since 2018.

Instructor: Yiro Shimabukuro

Yiro is the Polymer Science Lab Manager at the Polymers Center (PCE). He oversees the daily operations as well as designing testing protocol for customers looking for new product development, failure analysis, quality control, etc., using physical, thermal, spectral, and rheological instrumentation. He currently holds interest in using rheometry for uncovering structure-property relationships in materials as well as for molding/extrusion simulations.

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An Introduction to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for Polymer Analysis

This one-day training course will cover the theory and applications of FTIR for polymer identification with an emphasis on quality control to ensure that the trainees have confidence in using a Thermo Scientific Nicolet FTIR Spectrometer. The course will have interactive presentations discussing the theory, sampling considerations and applications focusing on bulk polymer identification. A broad range of relevant topics will be covered:

• Raw material identification
• Foreign material Identification
• Basic spectral interpretation
• Internal QC
• Failure analysis
• Automation of workflow
• Determination of recyclability with certainty

Attendees will also have hands-on operation of the FTIR spectrometers where they will learn how to acquire data, perform basic interpretation and search against commercial libraries to ensure accurate material identification. 

Course Outline:

• Introduction and theory of FTIR focusing on how the spectrometer works and what it measures
• Sampling and accessory considerations to select the correct accessory for different lab requirements and needs with real world case studies
• Initial spectral interpretation with an emphasis on polymers and common functional groups
• Live demonstration on how to use the spectrometer and OMNIC software with hands on tutorials
• Expanding FTIR beyond QA/QC via microscopy and multimodal techniques

Instructor: Matthew Bartucci, Ph.D.

Matt Bartucci is currently a Senior Application Scientist for the Nicolet FTIR product line at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and currently works out of the Bannockburn Center of Excellence demo laboratory outside of Chicago, IL.  Matt earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2008 and his Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago in 2013.  His graduate research focused characterizing organic monolayer surface coatings via grazing angle FTIR (i.e. PM-IRRAS) to confirm the molecular assembly with applications towards future electronic devices.  After graduate school, Matt’s postdoctoral research for the Army Research Labs focused on generating novel polymers in armor composites that could perform in extreme military environments.  Today he will be discussing how FTIR can be used as quality control tool to generate product confidence in the polymer industry.   


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