Services

Chemical Composition and Mechanical Properties of Incoming Materials

At New Hampshire Materials Lab we aspire to provide "one stop shopping" to our customers and have capabilities for providing both chemical composition and mechanical properties of materials. Chemical composition can be determined for ferrous alloys, nonferrous alloys and Polymers by ICP Emission Spectroscopy and FTIR Spectroscopy. The composition of a material is certified by analysis with a NIST traceable standard, when available. Mechanical properties can be determined by tensile and bend tests, puncture, shear and peel tests. The combination of chemical composition and mechanical properties provides a complete characterization of a given material and thus allows decisions to be made as to a material's suitability for a particular application.

Organic and Inorganic Contamination Identification

Organic, inorganic and mixtures of contaminants can be identified, often by a combination of analytical techniques including FTIR Spectroscopy, EDX Spectroscopy, and Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. These techniques allow separation and identification of even trace level contaminants. Often a good rule of thumb is "if you can see it we can analyze it." Once a contaminant is identified then possible sources of this contaminant are identified and, if necessary, tested for comparison to the original contaminant. Sometimes a single source of contamination can be identified but, more often, it is discovered that a contaminant is composed of material from more than one source. In this case attempts are made to separate and identify the various components of the contaminant.

Also..

  • Polymer identification including identification of plasticizers by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy and identification and quantification of filler materials by EDX Spectroscopy.
  • Paint matching for auto accidents and other forensic chemistry analyses such as fiber matching and identification.
  • Deformulations of solvent mixtures and detection and identification of trace level contaminates in organic solvents.
  • Deformulations and Analysis of flavorings and aromas including liquid flavoring and aroma solutions, aroma analysis of candles and aromatic oils.
  • Deformulation of plastics and adhesives.
  • Gas and headspace sampling by static headspace and Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME).
  • Analysis of materials for PCB's, PBB's and PCT's.
  • Surface analysis of trace contaminants and films by FTIR and EDX Spectroscopy.
  • Dissection and analysis of embedded contaminates in polymers and surfaces.
  • Dissection and analysis of embedded contaminates in polymers and surfaces.
  • Surface analysis of metals and corrosion problems by EDX Spectroscopy.
  • Melting point and thermal properties of materials.
  • Wet chemistry including titration's, pH measurements and Chlorides.
  • Detection of antifreeze contamination in lubricating oil and detection of small quantities of hydrocarbon oils in brake fluids.
  • Analysis of ecologically hazardous materials in consumer products.
  • Analysis of corrosion and contamination on medical devices.