Composition Analysis of Grafted ABS and its Blend Copolymers Using a Combination of ¹H NMR Spectroscopy and Nitrogen Element Analysis

Abstract

The composition analysis of the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer was performed using a method combining elemental analysis and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The physicochemical properties of ABS are determined by the relative contents of the constituent monomers. However, because ABS undergoes a complicated microstructural change during the polymerization process, it is difficult to accurately analyze the relative contents using only a typical method. In this study, a combination of nitrogen elemental analysis and 1H NMR spectroscopy was proposed as an analytical method that can consider the effects of changes in the microstructures. This approach confirmed whether the ABS samples were close to meeting the specifications. In addition, the composition analyses of polylactic acid/ABS blends, polycarbonate/ABS blends, and a polyamide 6/ABS mixture sample indicate that the obtained results were consistent with the expected values, thereby demonstrating that this combined analytical approach can be applied to various types of ABS copolymer systems.

Synthesis of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymers through interface-initiated room-temperature polymerization

“…† The spectra for the ABS copolymers synthesized in emulsions and emulsion gels at different temperatures are very similar to each other, and also in line with those in literature. [61][62][63][64] The chemical compositions of the as-synthesized ABS copolymers were determined from the NMR spectra. 63 The as-synthesized ABS copolymers consist of acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene segments 38/6/56 by mass, which is close to the original compositions for the monomers in the emulsion or emulsion gel systems.…”

“…[61][62][63][64] The chemical compositions of the as-synthesized ABS copolymers were determined from the NMR spectra. 63 The as-synthesized ABS copolymers consist of acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene segments 38/6/56 by mass, which is close to the original compositions for the monomers in the emulsion or emulsion gel systems. It suggests that the polymerization temperature has little effect on the chemical structures and compositions of the ABS copolymers synthesized in this study.…”

Mechanical Recycling of Post-Industrial PC/ABS Blends from the Automotive Sector by Mixture Design

“…Two key characteristics of the mixture were analyzed: the impact resistance, a crucial property for automotive applications that strongly depends on the blend's composition, and the ratio of the characteristic infrared peaks for the materials present in the blend. From this point of view, it is worthwhile to consider that a variety of different techniques can be employed to identify the composition of unknown recycled polymers, such as spectroscopic [24,25], thermal [26,27], elemental [28], pyrolysis gas chromatography analysis [29], or a combination of them [30,31]. While some of these techniques are capable of providing detailed information on samples' compositions, they are usually expensive and require large and stationary instrumentation, limiting the number of samples to be analyzed.…”