To better understand the properties of the ubiquitous silicone polymers, scientists from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, Dow Corning in Seneffe, Belgium, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, UK, have investigated polydimethylsiloxane using inelastic neutron scattering and infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The results of the study appeared in the Feb. 15 issue of Analytical Chemistry.

The group discovered that Raman spectroscopy may be used to determine the average chain lengths of the polymer, the ratio of monofunctional to quadrifunctional units in silicone resins and the percentage weight of the polymer in silicone emulsions. Further experiments are in progress to investigate in detail the spectra of oligomers.