Monitoring of Adhesive Curing using Time Course　Measurement with FTIR Spectroscopy

User Benefits

- Time-course measurement software allows detailed observation of curing reaction processes. - QATR^TM 10 accessory equipped with Specac Arrow enables measurement of tough adhesives without the need of cleaning ATR prism.

Introduction

Reactive adhesives, which are used for binding two surfaces, involve a chemical reaction converting them from liquid to solid state. The duration of the chemical reaction or curing process may take a few seconds to a few hours for a complete curing, depending on various factors such as type of monomer used and initiation conditions. One example of such adhesives is cyanoacrylate adhesive, which is commonly used for its ability to adhere to a wide range of substrates. It is also known as “superglue” or “instant glue” due to its rapid curing process. The acryl group containing an unsaturated carbon-carbon bond in the cyanoacrylate ester monomer would undergo polymerization in the presence of atmospheric moisture. As the monomer undergoes polymerization, the unsaturated carbon bond would be consumed. This would lead to a change in molecular structure during the curing process. In order to monitor the curing process and evaluate the reaction rate of the adhesive, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) could be used as it can detect any spectral changes during the curing process. This application news introduces the measurement of the curing process for cyanoacrylate adhesive using time course measurement software with IRXross FTIR instrument.

September 5, 2023 GMT