Determination of NCO% in polyurethane polymers using FT-NIR spectroscopy

Polyurethane polymers are used in the manufacture of foams, inks, adhesives, synthetic fibers, and plastics are traditionally and most commonly formed by reacting an isocyanate with a polyol. The progress of the reaction can be followed by measuring the NCO%. FT-NIR is an attractive alternative as it allows users to perform rapid determination of NCO% in polyurethanes in a fast and non-destructive manner. In this application note, ABB Analytical Measurements illustrates the use of an ABB FT-NIR instrument for fast determination of NCO% in polyurethane polymer.