Electronics & Chemicals - Application Notebook

Significance of the Topic

In modern electronics and chemical industries, precise inorganic and organic analyses are essential for product performance, regulatory compliance and environmental protection. Rapid screening methods, advanced detectors and multimodal instruments help to detect contaminants, additives and hazardous substances with minimal sample preparation and high sensitivity.

Objectives and Article Overview

This web article summarizes a collection of application case studies demonstrating Shimadzu analytical solutions for Electronics & Chemicals. It reviews methods for phthalate and flame retardant screening, volatile organic compound analysis, elemental and molecular characterization, polymer additive evaluation, micro‐sample infrared microscopy and optical property measurement of films and fibers.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Key techniques include:

• Pyrolysis–GC/MS (Py‐GC/MS) with Py‐Screener for phthalate esters and brominated flame retardants
• Headspace GC with Barrier Discharge Ionization Detector (HS‐GC‐BID) for aldehyde analysis
• Twin‐Line MS GC/MS for quantifying organic solvents under workplace regulations
• Purge and trap GC/MS for water leachate from supply equipment
• Thermal desorption GC/MS for off‐flavor contaminants and VOC/SVOC emissions according to VDA278
• EDX and FTIR for contaminant material identification and screening “silent change” in plastics
• FTIR mapping and ATR microscopy for fiber cross sections, multilayer films and hair damage studies
• UV‐VIS‐NIR spectrophotometry with integrating spheres (60 mm and 150 mm) for solar transmittance/reflectance, micro‐sample holders and variable‐angle measurements
• Infrared microscopy (IRTracer, IRSpirit plus SurveyIR and AIM‐9000) for micro area spectral imaging and mapping

Key Results and Discussion

• Pyrolysis‐GC/MS (Py‐Screener) enabled solvent‐free screening of seven phthalate esters and 11 brominated flame retardants with MDLs of 12–16 mg/kg and repeatabilities below 6 %.
• Simultaneous Scan/SIM Py‐GC/MS achieved sensitive phthalate and additive analysis in medical supplies using standard resin samples and NIST spectral searches.
• HS‐GC‐BID measured formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde and butylaldehyde in water with ppb‐level MDLs without derivatization.
• Twin‐Line MS GC/MS provided linear quantitative analyses of 58 workplace organic solvents from 1/100 to 2× control concentrations with R > 0.998 and RSD < 5 %.
• Purge and trap GC/MS determined trace VOCs in water equipment leachate at 0.1 µg/L with repeatability < 5 %.
• Thermal desorption GC/MS identified off‐flavor compounds by matching to libraries in Scan/MRM mode directly from polymer films.
• TD‐GC/MS (VDA278) characterized VOC/SVOC emissions from automotive interior materials, confirming method robustness.
• EDXIR‐Analysis software combined EDX and FTIR data for rapid contaminant identification and “silent change” detection in plastics.
• FTIR ATR accessory (GladiATR Vision) located and measured sub‐100 µm contaminants on paper and films by visual observation through the diamond crystal.
• Infrared microscopy with micro sample holders and micro beam lenses measured transmission of band‐pass filters and patterned films down to 50 µm apertures.
• Variable‐angle UV‐VIS measurements of dielectric multilayer films showed angle‐dependent blue shifts in pass‐ and stop‐bands for filter characterization.
• UV‐VIS spectrophotometry with large integrating spheres minimized detector‐switching artifacts measuring scattering solar glass and building materials (curtains, shoji, blinds, insulation films).
• FTIR mapping on AIM‐9000 visualized pyridine adsorption on TiO₂ powders, hair damage cross‐sections and polymer multilayers with 10 µm resolution.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These analytical solutions offer:

• Fast, solvent‐free sample preparation for screening regulated substances
• High sensitivity and low detection limits for trace contaminants
• Combined inorganic/organic identification in a single workflow
• Compliance with RoHS, CPSIA, VDA278, IEC 62321 and work‐place exposure standards
• Micro‐area and mapping capabilities for advanced materials and biological samples
• Optical property evaluation for energy‐saving and functional films

Future Trends and Applications

Expected developments include:

• Automation and robotics in sample handling for high‐throughput screening
• Integration of AI‐driven spectral libraries for faster, more accurate identification
• Miniaturized, field‐portable GC, FTIR and XRF systems for on‐site analysis
• Multi‐modal platforms combining pyrolysis, HRMS and imaging techniques
• Advanced data management linking analytical results to process control and LIMS

Conclusion

Shimadzu’s wide range of GC/MS, FTIR, UV‐VIS and XRF instruments, combined with specialized accessories and software, provide versatile, high‐performance solutions for electronic and chemical industry challenges. From regulatory compliance and quality control to materials research and functional evaluation, these analytical techniques enable rapid, sensitive and comprehensive characterization of complex samples.

Reference

Shimadzu Corporation. Solutions for Electronics & Chemicals Application Notebook. First Edition 2015–2018.
“Pyrolysis–GC/MS Screening of Phthalate Esters,” Shimadzu Application Note LAAN-J-MS-E110.
“HS-GC-BID Analysis of Lower Aldehydes,” Shimadzu Application Note LAAN-J-MS-E118.
“Twin-Line MS Quantification of Organic Solvents,” Shimadzu Application Note LAAN-J-MS-E119.
“Thermal Desorption GC/MS for Automotive VOC/SVOC,” Shimadzu Application Note LAAN-J-MS-E135.
“EDX-FTIR Contaminant Finder,” Shimadzu Application News A567.
“IRTracer-100 Infrared Microscopy Mapping,” Shimadzu Application News A523.
“UV-3600 Plus Large Integrating Sphere Measurements,” Shimadzu Application News A498 & A507.
“CNF Optical and Functional Group Analysis,” Shimadzu Application News A579.
“SurveyIR Micro‐Sample ATR Microscopy,” Shimadzu Application News A563.
“AIM-9000 IR Mapping of Pyridine on TiO₂,” Shimadzu Application News A489.