Hyphenated gas chromatography mass spectrometry
Hyphenated gas chromatography mass spectrometry is an advanced technology widely applied for the identification of insoluble and polymeric materials.
Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GCMS) is a method of chemical analysis in which the sample is heated to decomposition to produce smaller molecules that are separated by gas chromatography (GC) and detected using mass spectrometry (MS).
Py-GCMS can be used to characterise most materials including insoluble and complex materials at trace levels without any sample pre-treatment such as polymers, plastics, rubber, paints, cellulose, oils and other. Due to the direct sample introduction and the chromatographic separation, it is possible not only to analyse very small amounts but also to obtain detailed, unique information.
Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method of thermal analysis in which the mass of a sample is measured over time as the temperature changes. The instrument continuously monitors the weight change that occurs as a sample is heated at a constant rate. As the temperature increases, various components of the sample are decomposed, and the weight percentage of each resulting mass change can be measured.
TGA measurement can be used to determine a material’s thermal stability and its fraction of volatile components by providing information about physical phenomena, such as phase transitions, absorption, adsorption and desorption, as well as chemical phenomena including chemisorption, thermal decomposition, and solid-gas reactions.
TGA is also hyphenated with GCMS to perform more advanced analysis such as volatile gas, decomposition by-products and reactions.
More information
- Contact person: Dr Alex Duan (Platform Manager) | Dr Yukie O'Bryan (Technical specialist)
- Access: find out more about accessing this equipment
- Location: School of Chemistry, Building 154, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010