EDXRF APPLICATION NOTE SILICONE COATING ON PAPER AND PLASTIC

1140

SCOPE
The analysis of silicone coating on paper and plastic is demonstrated.

BACKGROUND
Paper and plastic are coated with a thin layer of silicone as a release coating in the manufacture of tape or other adhesives, or as a barrier coating for protection against air in the packaging of food and other materials. During the coating process the amount of silicone coating, usually expressed as a 2 coat weight in g/m , must be periodically measured in order to ensure the proper physical properties of the product. When coating is too heavy silicone material is needlessly wasted, while too little coating may not meet the product spec. In order to achieve reliable QA/QC, Rigaku offers the NEX QC EDXRF analyzer. Simple to operate, the NEX QC gives the QC technician an ideal tool for quickly checking silicone coat weight in order to maintain the highest product quality with minimal costs.

INSTRUMENTATION
Model: X-ray tube: Detector: Sample Type: Film: Analysis Time: Environment: Aperture: Rigaku NEX QC 4 W Ag-anode Semiconductor 2X2 inch coupons Prolene 100 seconds Air Flat window ring with aluminum hold-down ring

SAMPLE PREPARATION
A flat test coupon is cut approximately 2X2 inches square and simply placed in the analysis chamber over the aperture coating side down. Any size sample can be used, as long as it is flat and covers the 25mm diameter aperture opening.

Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. 9825 Spectrum Drive, Bldg. 4, Suite 475 Austin, TX 78717 USA www.RigakuEDXRF.com info@RigakuEDXRF.com (+1) 512-225-1796

EDXRF APPLICATION NOTE #1140

CALIBRATION PAPER
An empirical calibration was built using a set of assayed paper standards using a measurement time of 100 seconds. Paper (silicone 0.34-1.50 g/m )
Silicone Units: g/m2 Sample I.D. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Std Error of Est: 0.005 Correlation: 0.99990 Standard Calculated Value Value 0.34 0.344 0.40 0.393 0.55 0.552 0.62 0.623 0.70 0.697 1.50 1.500
0 1.6

Correlation Plot Si on Paper

1.50

Calculated Value
0 1.6

1.25 1.00 0.75 0.50 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50

Standard Value

REPEATABILITY PAPER
To demonstrate repeatability (precision), the low and high coat weight samples were chosen from the set of calibration standards. Each sample was measured in static position for ten repeat analyses using a total analysis time of 100 sec per measurement, with typical results shown below.

Silicone Sample ID
1 6

Units: g/m

Standard Value
0.34 1.50

Average Value
0.338 1.508

Std Dev
0.004 0.004

% Relative
1.2 0.3

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Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. 9825 Spectrum Drive, Bldg. 4, Suite 475 Austin, TX 78717 USA www.RigakuEDXRF.com info@RigakuEDXRF.com (+1) 512-225-1796

EDXRF APPLICATION NOTE #1140

CALIBRATION PLASTIC
An empirical calibration was built using a set of assayed thin plastic standards using a measurement time of 100 seconds. Plastic (silicone 0.56-2.20 g/m )
Silicone Units: g/m2 Sample I.D. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Std Error of Est: 0.009 Correlation: 0.99987 Standard Calculated Value Value 0.56 0.557 0.68 0.682 0.98 0.992 1.14 1.132 1.21 1.207 2.20 2.201
0 2.3

Correlation Plot Si on Plastic

2.25 2.00

Calculated Value
0 2.3

1.75 1.50 1.25 1.00 0.75 0.50 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25

Standard Value

REPEATABILITY PLASTIC
To demonstrate repeatability (precision), the low and high coat weight samples were chosen from the set of calibration standards. Each sample was measured in static position for ten repeat analyses using a total analysis time of 100 sec per measurement, with typical results shown below.

Silicone Sample ID
1 6

Units: g/m

Standard Value
0.56 2.20

Average Value
0.560 2.201

Std Dev
0.004 0.006

% Relative
0.7 0.3

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Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. 9825 Spectrum Drive, Bldg. 4, Suite 475 Austin, TX 78717 USA www.RigakuEDXRF.com info@RigakuEDXRF.com (+1) 512-225-1796

EDXRF APPLICATION NOTE #1140

TYPICAL DETECTION LIMITS

To determine the Lower Limit of Detection (LLD) using the empirical method, ten repeat analyses of an uncoated blank sample is measured and the standard deviation calculated. The LLD is then defined as three times the standard deviation. Silicone LLD @ 100 sec 0.003 g/m 0.005 g/m
2 2

Product Paper Plastic

Silicone LLD @ 50 sec 0.004 g/m 0.007 g/m

2 2

CONCLUSION
The typical results detailed here show exceptional performance for the fast and simple measurement of silicone coat weight on paper and plastic. The Rigaku NEX QC is an excellent tool along the QC process in producing coated product, giving the production process an affordable means of optimizing quality while minimizing costs and helping to minimize product rejection and waste.

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Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. 9825 Spectrum Drive, Bldg. 4, Suite 475 Austin, TX 78717 USA www.RigakuEDXRF.com info@RigakuEDXRF.com (+1) 512-225-1796