Imaging techniques: Innovative tools for failure analysis

The loss of stabilizing additives is a crucial elemental step in the ageing of polymers. However, the approach currently used to determine the spatial distribution of antioxidants in finished or semi-finished products of polymers is extremely limited with regard to spatial resolution and reproducibility. Infrared microscopy offers an extremely powerful alternative with regard to both these criteria: Using infrared microscopy the extraction of the phenolic long term stabilizer Irganox 1010 from the wall of polypropylene pipes can be monitored. Carrying out IR-microscopy in a quantitative manner enables to determine the temperature and pressure dependent diffusion constants of the stabilizer. The same approach also allows to monitor the loss of Irganox 1010 from the surface of polyethylene pipes as a result of weathering. A quantitative relationship between the loss rate and the radiation dose can be established.