Industrial Applications
Read more about studies on TEXTILES
TEXTILES
Application of Imaging for the study of Fabrics
In the manufacture of sterile coats for hospital use, particular importance is given to the choice of fabrics; the texture of the weaving and the characteristics of the yarn are important not only for the resistance of the product but also for their tendency to accumulate impurities which, even after careful cleaning, can contaminate sterile environments. The manufacture of coats, and in particular the sewing, can take place in a classical manner or with welds with hot glue, aimed to eliminate spaces and areas in which dirt and bacteria can accumulate.
The imaging technique with μCT(computerized micro tomography) was used both to study in depth the morphology of the different tissues available for the realization of the coats, and to evaluate the welds with hot glue at the critical points of the sewing. The collaboration made it possible to choose fabrics that, at a morphological level, presented greater guarantees of resistance and ease of cleaning and improved the gluing process for sewing the coat.
Application on fabric
3D rendering of the fabric (voxel size 12.5 mm)
3D rendering of the Fabric (voxel size of 6,25 mm)
3D rendering of welded fabric (voxel size of 12.5 mm) and zoom of the areas of interest
Application of Infrared Techniques for the Study of Technical Textiles
New technical textiles are designed, developed and tuned to ensure the highest performance in the world of sports. They can be used in any season and in all weather conditions. New high-performance yarns, mostly based by polymeric composite materials need to be developed. Polymer defects introduced by spinning, such as yarn inclusions, or by coloring, may degrade both technical quality and attractive look of the clothes. In collaboration with two leading companies, the spinning and coloring process of several yarns have been studied using infrared techniques in the Mid-Infrared Region (MIR). Single filaments have been investigated with FTIR microscopy for revealing potential sources for yarn defects. In addition, all the chemicals used for coloring have been classified to create a reference database to be used in quality procedure checks to highlight potential variations leading to defect in coloring process. The collaboration has continued for two years in which sampling and measurement protocols for chemical products are developed to improve the company’s process control. In order to provide the company with full autonomy in carrying out its activities, the personnel involved have been provided with the appropriate training for the interpretation of the analytical data.
Yarn and tissue defects
Selected infrared spectral regions have been investigated to understand the nature of filament defects (diverse composition, polymerization degree, inclusions,…) and variability in coloring induced by of specific chemical products.
Experimental approach: Identify the defect by the visible part of the Vis-IR microscope, highlight the filament main component, isolate and chemically characterize the nature of the inclusions by selective chemical mapping.
THE LAB
ELETTRA SINCROTRONE TRIESTE
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories focused on the techniques of X-ray Imaging and vibrational spectroscopies for chemical analysis.
Application of Raman Spectroscopy in the study of nylon 6,6 relaxation process
Nylon is among the most important plastic material for engineering, such as for application as high-strength fiber or at elevated temperature as well as used for textiles and carpets, automotive parts and food packaging. Moreover, this semi- crystalline polymeric material has been widely studied with respect to thermal processes associated with its molecular structure, and therefore can be used as reference material.
The characterization of polymers is highly important for the development of new polymeric materials, whereas the selection and design of new materials strongly depends on their thermal properties. In this study, Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate the relaxation process of Nylon at specific temperatures (ranging from -120oC and 120oC) to demonstrate the validity of this technique compared with conventional techniques such as DSC, DRM, DMA and DMTA.
The results of the measurements with Raman spectroscopy showed temperature dependent changes for the three major relaxation processes, known as γ, β and α in a fashion quite similar to those obtained via macroscopic method for thermodynamic and mechanical quantities. In addition, the Raman scattering signal was able to deliver information directly from the source where these processes occur (molecular level) and the sample does not need to undergo any special chemical or physical pre-treatment.
[Ref: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.10.058]
Product using Nylon 6,6
The figure shows the Raman peaks associated with different molecules and the three pronounced regions (T γ, T β ,Tα ) whose temperature range can be attributed, in order of increasing temperature, to the occurrence of γ, β and α relaxation processes
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of MaterialsRAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.
WOOD PRODUCT
Application of impregnation techniques on laboratory scale
The impregnation of biogenic materials to improve their properties is an old idea (e.g. wood protection). Currently, the focus on this research field are green alternatives (e.g. tannins) and not only for applications of wood protection, but also for aesthetic and functional purpose. However, not every material is easy to impregnate, there are different processes and option to improve the successful impregnation of natural materials.
[Ref: Schnabel T, Musso M, Tondi G (2014) Univariate and multivariate analysis of tannin-impregnated wood species using vibrational spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy 68:488-494]
Different impregnated wood samples
PLS-Plot
Second derivate FT-NIR spectra of different impregnated wood samples
Application of extraction methods for natural raw materials on laboratory scale
There are some unused natural materials (e.g. by-products), which could be used for the production of new materials and products. However, these raw materials may contain large amounts of different bio-polymers (e.g. lignans, flavonoids, stilbenes and carbohydrates), and for example, it could become a potentially valuable source of natural antioxidants.
[Ref: Wagner K, Musso M, Kain S, Willför S, Petutschnigg A, Schnabel T (2020) Larch wood residues valorization through extraction and unilization of high value-added products. Polymers 12:359; doi:10.3390/polym12020359]
Larch sound and dead knot
FT-IR spectra of different larch knotwood samples and references
Approach of this study
Application of foam production techniques on laboratory scale
The increasing social awareness to sustainability reinforces the necessity for the industry to develop eco-friendly and sustainable materials to decrease the environmental impact of their products. An example for an environmentally friendly substitute are tannin-based foams, which are a very promising green alternative to commonly used oil-derived materials for foam production. Sometimes, their material properties have been not documented in detail yet. However, it is necessary to characterize the materials for the development of new materials and/or products.
[Ref: Sepperer T, Neubauer J, Eckardt, J, Schnabel T, Petutschnigg A, Tondi G (2019) Pollutant absorption as a possible end-of-life solution for polyphenolic polymers. Polymers 11:911, doi:10.3390/polym11050911]
Different tannin-based foams and a possible application of pollutant absorption
FT-IR sectra of different samples
THE LAB
SALZBURG UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES – Forest Products Technology & Timber Constructions Dep.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories dedicated on techniques for processing and analysing of natural raw materials (e.g. wood, straw, bark, etc).
Application of Raman Spectroscopy in the study of wood- based panels
Increasing problems with raw material supply for wood-based panels has triggered recent developments to diversify material supply. Regarding the recovery of waste materials and the performance of wood panels concerning fire resistance and mechanical properties, wet blue leather shavings have been considered a useful material combination. These shavings are a byproduct of the leather preparation process. In Europe around 0.2 million tons per year are generated when tanned hides are trimmed to its final thickness.
The objective of the experiments was to investigate the distribution of materials in fiberboards made from wood fibers and wet blue leather shavings. As the mixture of materials is important, it was possible to determine the distribution of materials in the fiberboards by Raman spectroscopy.
The information obtained by Raman spectroscopy shows a possible approach for a detailed distribution analysis in the wood-based panels industry. The measurements indicated that it is possible to reliably describe the heterogeneity of wood-leather panels for distinguishing the leather and non-leather area. Raman spectrum of leather offers the most distinctive Raman fingerprint to describe the heterogeneity of wood-leather panels.
[Ref: T. Grünewald, S. Ostrowski, A. Petutschnigg, M. Musso, and S. Wieland, – Structural Analysis of Wood-Leather Panels by Raman Spectroscopy BioResources 7 (2), 1431-1439 (2012)]
Wood based panels
Wet Blue Leather
Mapping of the components of the sample analysed, leather is visible in blue (B) and black (C)
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.
NANOCOATING
Application of UV Resonant Raman for the study of Nanocoatings
Nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO2), also know as titania, is widely used as photocatalysts for many applications. In particular, nanometric TiO2 represents an effective material thanks to its high chemical stability, non-toxicity and high photo-reactivity; these properties make it potentially useful for conservation aims. Several studies have been devoted to understand the suitability of titanium dioxide nanoparticles as additive for coatings of stone materials, with particular attention of built heritage. Some aspects of the influence of nanoparticles on the hydrophobic features of the coatings, as well as understanding of the long-term behavior of such treatments, are still unclear. Moreover, the behavior of coatings at increasing amounts of nanoparticles is important in order to establish the right quantities to apply on the surface. In order to clarify these points, 30 samples of limestone have been treated with mixtures of nano-sized TiO2/SiO2/PDMS, and then, analyzed. UV Resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy measurements allowed us to evaluate the coverage rate of titania on the stone surface. It has been shown that UVRR represents a successful technique to detect quantitatively the amount of TiO2 on the surface; in particular it has been found that the amount 23.7 g/m2 represents the saturation point of titania on the surface, so higher amounts of such material would not improve the efficacy of the coating; this was confirmed by photodegradation assessments. This result is valid for this specific stone, for other lithotypes different results are expected.
APPLICATION: nanostructured coatings for restoration of stone materials in cultural heritage conservation
Ref: V. Crupi et al., Constr. Build. Mater., 2018, 166, 464–471
The amount and distribution of TiO2 on the surface can be evaluated trough the analysis of Raman bands assigned to specific chemical species in the UVRR spectra
The analysis of experimental data give information on the effective amount of TiO2 retained on stone surface as a function of concentration of nanoparticles in the coating formulation; we observe that a superposition of more TiO2 layers takes place at specific concentrations
THE LAB
ELETTRA SINCROTRONE TRIESTE
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories focused on the techniques of X-ray Imaging and vibrational spectroscopies for chemical analysis.
RECYCLED MATERIALS
Application of foam production techniques on laboratory scale
The increasing social awareness to sustainability reinforces the necessity for the industry to develop eco-friendly and sustainable materials to decrease the environmental impact of their products. An example for an environmentally friendly substitute are tannin-based foams, which are a very promising green alternative to commonly used oil-derived materials for foam production. Sometimes, their material properties have been not documented in detail yet. However, it is necessary to characterize the materials for the development of new materials and/or products.
[Ref: Sepperer T, Neubauer J, Eckardt, J, Schnabel T, Petutschnigg A, Tondi G (2019) Pollutant absorption as a possible end-of-life solution for polyphenolic polymers. Polymers 11:911, doi:10.3390/polym11050911]
Different tannin-based foams and a possible application of pollutant absorption
FT-IR sectra of different samples
THE LAB
SALZBURG UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES – Forest Products Technology & Timber Constructions Dep.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories dedicated on techniques for processing and analysing of natural raw materials (e.g. wood, straw, bark, etc).
Application of Raman Spectroscopy in the study of wood- based panels
Increasing problems with raw material supply for wood-based panels has triggered recent developments to diversify material supply. Regarding the recovery of waste materials and the performance of wood panels concerning fire resistance and mechanical properties, wet blue leather shavings have been considered a useful material combination. These shavings are a byproduct of the leather preparation process. In Europe around 0.2 million tons per year are generated when tanned hides are trimmed to its final thickness. The objective of the experiments was to investigate the distribution of materials in fiberboards made from wood fibers and wet blue leather shavings. As the mixture of materials is important, it was possible to determine the distribution of materials in the fiberboards by Raman spectroscopy. The information obtained by Raman spectroscopy shows a possible approach for a detailed distribution analysis in the wood-based panels industry. The measurements indicated that it is possible to reliably describe the heterogeneity of wood-leather panels for distinguishing the leather and non-leather area. Raman spectrum of leather offers the most distinctive Raman fingerprint to describe the heterogeneity of wood-leather panels.
[Ref: T. Grünewald, S. Ostrowski, A. Petutschnigg, M. Musso, and S. Wieland, – Structural Analysis of Wood-Leather Panels by Raman Spectroscopy BioResources 7 (2), 1431-1439 (2012)]
Wood based panels
Wet Blue Leather
Mapping of the components of the sample analysed, leather is visible in blue (B) and black (C)
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.
POLYMERS
Application of Imaging for the study of Polymeric Material
Polymeric materials, composite emulsions and suspensions are widely used in industry. Their formulation, production optimization and defects removal are some of the main issues on the production. The three-dimensional structure of different foams has been extracted by means of x-ray μCT (computerized micro tomography) and synthetic parameters describing the architecture have been defined and evaluated. The micro-architecture has been correlated with the material production process parameters and final macro performances, thus allowing the production process optimization and the target composite performance achievement.
Industrial polymeric foam: rendering of the cell microarchitecture for two foams with different chemical formulation
Industrial polymeric foam: study of the cell volume distribution
THE LAB
ELETTRA SINCROTRONE TRIESTE
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories focused on the techniques of X-ray Imaging and vibrational spectroscopies for chemical analysis.
Application of foam production techniques on laboratory scale
The increasing social awareness to sustainability reinforces the necessity for the industry to develop eco-friendly and sustainable materials to decrease the environmental impact of their products. An example for an environmentally friendly substitute are tannin-based foams, which are a very promising green alternative to commonly used oil-derived materials for foam production. Sometimes, their material properties have been not documented in detail yet. However, it is necessary to characterize the materials for the development of new materials and/or products.
[Ref: Sepperer T, Neubauer J, Eckardt, J, Schnabel T, Petutschnigg A, Tondi G (2019) Pollutant absorption as a possible end-of-life solution for polyphenolic polymers. Polymers 11:911, doi:10.3390/polym11050911]
Different tannin-based foams and a possible application of pollutant absorption
FT-IR sectra of different samples
THE LAB
SALZBURG UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES – Forest Products Technology & Timber Constructions Dep.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories dedicated on techniques for processing and analysing of natural raw materials (e.g. wood, straw, bark, etc).
Application of Raman Spectroscopy in the study of nylon 6,6 relaxation process
Nylon is among the most important plastic material for engineering, such as for application as high-strength fiber or at elevated temperature as well as used for textiles and carpets, automotive parts and food packaging. Moreover, this semi- crystalline polymeric material has been widely studied with respect to thermal processes associated with its molecular structure, and therefore can be used as reference material. The characterization of polymers is highly important for the development of new polymeric materials, whereas the selection and design of new materials strongly depends on their thermal properties. In this study, Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate the relaxation process of Nylon at specific temperatures (ranging from -120oC and 120oC) to demonstrate the validity of this technique compared with conventional techniques such as DSC, DRM, DMA and DMTA. The results of the measurements with Raman spectroscopy showed temperature dependent changes for the three major relaxation processes, known as γ, β and α in a fashion quite similar to those obtained via macroscopic method for thermodynamic and mechanical quantities. In addition, the Raman scattering signal was able to deliver information directly from the source where these processes occur (molecular level) and the sample does not need to undergo any special chemical or physical pre-treatment.
[Ref: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.10.058]
– Product using Nylon 6,6 –
The figure shows the Raman peaks associated with different molecules and the three pronounced regions (T γ, T β ,Tα ) whose temperature range can be attributed, in order of increasing temperature, to the occurrence of γ, β and α relaxation processes
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of MaterialsRAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.
FOOD SUPPLEMENT
Application of extraction methods for natural raw materials on laboratory scale
There are some unused natural materials (e.g. by-products), which could be used for the production of new materials and products. However, these raw materials may contain large amounts of different bio-polymers (e.g. lignans, flavonoids, stilbenes and carbohydrates), and for example, it could become a potentially valuable source of natural antioxidants.
[Ref: Wagner K, Musso M, Kain S, Willför S, Petutschnigg A, Schnabel T (2020) Larch wood residues valorization through extraction and unilization of high value-added products. Polymers 12:359; doi:10.3390/polym12020359]
Larch sound and dead knot
FT-IR spectra of different larch knotwood samples and references
Approach of this study
THE LAB
SALZBURG UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES – Forest Products Technology & Timber Constructions Dep.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories dedicated on techniques for processing and analysing of natural raw materials (e.g. wood, straw, bark, etc).
Application of Fourier Raman Spectroscopy in the study of flavonoids and carotenoids
There has been increasing interest in flavonoids and carotenoids from plant sources in the industry of food supplements, fortified foods, nutraceutics and cosmetics because of their versatile health benefits reported in various clinical and epidemiological studies.
Flavonoids and carotenoids are shown to have antioxidative activity, mainly associated to their free-radical scavenging capacity, that is directly associated to the prevention of several morbidities and co-morbidities, including systemic inflammation, cancer, chronic diseases, metabolic alterations (such as type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia) as well as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, some flavonoids exhibit potential antiviral activities. Pigments present in fruits and vegetables are the main dietary sources of flavonoids and carotenoids for humans, along with chocolate, honey, tea and wine. However, their bioavailability, metabolism, and, consequently, biological activity depend upon the configuration, total number of hydroxyl groups, and substitution of functional groups close to their nuclear structure.
Fourier Raman spectroscopy has been applied to analyze plant constituents, including the pigments responsible for colors of different colored flower petals of pansy cultivars (Viola x wittrockiana) with the objective to investigate how far that technique is a potential method for in-situ discrimination of flavonoids and carotenoids occurring in flowers. For the analysis intact and differently colored flower petals were used.
Fourier Raman spectroscopy results showed successfully the discrimination between the distribution of various pigments in flower petals, offering a future possibility to progress in the chemical and structural characterization of such elements for their use in food and cosmetic industry.
[Ref: DOI 10.1002/jrs.2860]
Chemical Mapping that shows the presence of flavonoids and carotenoids and their relative concentration
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.
FOOD PACKAGING
Application of UV Resonant Raman for the study of Nanocoatings
Nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO2), also know as titania, is widely used as photocatalysts for many applications. In particular, nanometric TiO2 represents an effective material thanks to its high chemical stability, non-toxicity and high photo-reactivity; these properties make it potentially useful for conservation aims. Several studies have been devoted to understand the suitability of titanium dioxide nanoparticles as additive for coatings of stone materials, with particular attention of built heritage. Some aspects of the influence of nanoparticles on the hydrophobic features of the coatings, as well as understanding of the long-term behavior of such treatments, are still unclear. Moreover, the behavior of coatings at increasing amounts of nanoparticles is important in order to establish the right quantities to apply on the surface. In order to clarify these points, 30 samples of limestone have been treated with mixtures of nano-sized TiO2/SiO2/PDMS, and then, analyzed. UV Resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy measurements allowed us to evaluate the coverage rate of titania on the stone surface. It has been shown that UVRR represents a successful technique to detect quantitatively the amount of TiO2 on the surface; in particular it has been found that the amount 23.7 g/m2 represents the saturation point of titania on the surface, so higher amounts of such material would not improve the efficacy of the coating; this was confirmed by photodegradation assessments. This result is valid for this specific stone, for other lithotypes different results are expected.
APPLICATION: nanostructured coatings for restoration of stone materials in cultural heritage conservation
Ref: V. Crupi et al., Constr. Build. Mater., 2018, 166, 464–471
The amount and distribution of TiO2 on the surface can be evaluated trough the analysis of Raman bands assigned to specific chemical species in the UVRR spectra
The analysis of experimental data give information on the effective amount of TiO2 retained on stone surface as a function of concentration of nanoparticles in the coating formulation; we observe that a superposition of more TiO2 layers takes place at specific concentrations
THE LAB
ELETTRA SINCROTRONE TRIESTE
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories focused on the techniques of X-ray Imaging and vibrational spectroscopies for chemical analysis.
COSMETICS
Application of extraction methods for natural raw materials on laboratory scale
There are some unused natural materials (e.g. by-products), which could be used for the production of new materials and products. However, these raw materials may contain large amounts of different bio-polymers (e.g. lignans, flavonoids, stilbenes and carbohydrates), and for example, it could become a potentially valuable source of natural antioxidants.
[Ref: Wagner K, Musso M, Kain S, Willför S, Petutschnigg A, Schnabel T (2020) Larch wood residues valorization through extraction and unilization of high value-added products. Polymers 12:359; doi:10.3390/polym12020359]
Larch sound and dead knot
FT-IR spectra of different larch knotwood samples and references
Approach of this study
THE LAB
SALZBURG UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES – Forest Products Technology & Timber Constructions Dep.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences participates to InCIMa4 projects with three laboratories dedicated on techniques for processing and analysing of natural raw materials (e.g. wood, straw, bark, etc).
Application of Fourier Raman Spectroscopy in the study of flavonoids and carotenoids
There has been increasing interest in flavonoids and carotenoids from plant sources in the industry of food supplements, fortified foods, nutraceutics and cosmetics because of their versatile health benefits reported in various clinical and epidemiological studies.
Flavonoids and carotenoids are shown to have antioxidative activity, mainly associated to their free-radical scavenging capacity, that is directly associated to the prevention of several morbidities and co-morbidities, including systemic inflammation, cancer, chronic diseases, metabolic alterations (such as type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia) as well as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, some flavonoids exhibit potential antiviral activities. Pigments present in fruits and vegetables are the main dietary sources of flavonoids and carotenoids for humans, along with chocolate, honey, tea and wine. However, their bioavailability, metabolism, and, consequently, biological activity depend upon the configuration, total number of hydroxyl groups, and substitution of functional groups close to their nuclear structure.
Fourier Raman spectroscopy has been applied to analyze plant constituents, including the pigments responsible for colors of different colored flower petals of pansy cultivars (Viola x wittrockiana) with the objective to investigate how far that technique is a potential method for in-situ discrimination of flavonoids and carotenoids occurring in flowers. For the analysis intact and differently colored flower petals were used.
Fourier Raman spectroscopy results showed successfully the discrimination between the distribution of various pigments in flower petals, offering a future possibility to progress in the chemical and structural characterization of such elements for their use in food and cosmetic industry.
[Ref: DOI 10.1002/jrs.2860]
Chemical Mapping that shows the presence of flavonoids and carotenoids and their relative concentration
THE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG – Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY LAB
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive vibrational spectroscopic method based on the interaction of light with the electron shell.