Measuring Cross-Linking Levels Using Light

摘要

Cross-linking is a targeted and cost-effective means of improving the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of standard thermoplastics. The most familiar example of this is pipes made from cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X). Other substances that cross-link during the curing process include adhesives and thermosetting matrix materials for fiber composites. The most important quality indicator for fiber composites and adhesives is the curing level or, in the case of PE-X, the cross-linking level. The standards-based testing methods currently used to measure this are random, destructive and, in some cases, highly time-consuming. Businesses and research institutions have been searching for some time for alternative processes to speed up the testing of curing levels. Potential candidates include dynamic mechanical analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).