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Dow Corning’s ability to develop new products and modify existing ones is
based in part upon our analytical expertise and advanced analytical
instrumentation. Our network of state-of-the art facilities – in Asia, Europe,
and the United States – allows us to quickly respond to your needs around the
globe.
Our Analytical Sciences Group literally “wrote the book” on analyzing
silicones: The Analytical Chemistry of Silicones. We have a wide breadth
of experience in analyzing materials and troubleshooting problems from diverse
markets – ranging from microelectronics to construction, paper, and
cosmetics.
A primary objective is to fully characterize materials to better understand
the relationships between their chemical makeup and key application properties.
This capability provides innovative analytical solutions to both you
and Dow Corning.
Analysis is generally conducted on three platforms:
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Finished materials that go into the products made by our customers
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Raw materials that go into our products
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Substrates that raw materials are applied onto, including automotive paint
applications, peel-off labels, clothing, and building materials
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Our scientists use a variety of sophisticated analytical instruments. For
example, we have instruments that are so sensitive they can detect elemental or
molecular concentrations in parts per trillion – that is equivalent to only
seconds of time in a total of 320 centuries. We are also able to probe material
surfaces with near atomic resolution and can determine the “exact mass” of
complex molecules.
Some of the principal tools used by Dow Corning’s Analytical Sciences Group
include:
• Separation technologies (gas and liquid chromatography)
• Organic molecular characterization (infrared and raman spectroscopy, nuclear
magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry)
• Elemental analysis (atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma
spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray fluorescence)
• Surface analysis (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force, and
scanning and transmission electron microscopy)
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Cryo-TEM image, magnified 10,000 times, of rake-type siloxane vesicles formed in aqueous phase. These materials are used in textile manufacture, cosmetic formulations, and as agricultural adjuvants and paint additives. |
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Sources:
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A. Lee Smith (ed), The Analytical Chemistry of Silicones,
Wiley-Interscience, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York (1991).
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