Frontier Laboratories Multi-functional Pyrolyzer EGA/PY-3030D

Significance of the Topic

The detailed thermal analysis of polymers and complex materials is critical for quality control, materials research and failure analysis. Pyrolysis–gas chromatography (Py–GC) coupled with evolved gas analysis (EGA) enables direct investigation of solids, traces of polymeric additives and insoluble fractions without extensive sample preparation.

Study Objectives and Overview

This application note presents the EGA/PY-3030D multi-shot pyrolyzer, developed in collaboration between Frontier Laboratories and Nagoya University, aiming to:

• Enhance heating and cooling rates over a broad temperature range.
• Increase sample throughput and reproducibility compared to previous models.
• Support multiple analytical modes (EGA–MS, single-shot, double-shot, heart-cut).
• Maintain compatibility with existing Py–GC libraries and methods.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The EGA/PY-3030D uses a vertical micro-furnace with a hollow ceramic heater capable of 600 °C/min heating and 100 °C/min cooling between near-ambient and 1050 °C. It interfaces with a GC/MS via a deactivated capillary EGA transfer line. Four analytical modes are available:

• Evolved gas analysis (EGA–MS)
• Single-shot pyrolysis GC/MS
• Double-shot thermal desorption/pyrolysis GC/MS
• Heart-cut EGA–GC/MS

Key peripherals include:

• Auto-Shot Sampler AS-2020E (up to 48 samples)
• Carrier Gas Selector CGS-1050Ex for air or helium atmospheres
• Selective Sampler SS-2010E for heart-cut operations
• MicroJet Cryo-Trap MJT-2030E for volatile focusing
• Ultra ALLOY® metal capillary columns and F-Search software libraries

Main Results and Discussion

The new furnace reduces thermal mass to one-sixth of the predecessor, achieving:

• Heating to 600 °C in 2 minutes (vs. 6 minutes previously)
• Cooling from 600 °C to 50 °C in 7.5 minutes (vs. 22 minutes)
• Daily EGA sample capacity from 20 to 36 (180 % improvement)
• Peak temperature reproducibility RSD <0.3 %
• Pyrogram peak-area ratio reproducibility RSD <2 %

Correlation studies confirm that data from the EGA/PY-3030D align with results from the earlier PY-2020iD model, allowing continued use of established libraries.

Application examples include characterization of an eyebrow pencil by sequential EGA, single-shot pyrolysis, double-shot TD/Py–GC/MS and heart-cut analysis to identify volatiles (e.g., phenoxyethanol, 2-ethylhexyl fumarate) and polymer components (acrylic resin, polysiloxane). Pyrolysis of tobacco leaves at 1000 °C reveals polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under helium and additional oxides under air.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The instrument supports:

• Direct analysis of solids, liquids and compounds of unknown composition.
• High sample throughput for QA/QC laboratories.
• Flexible choice of atmosphere to promote oxidation or inert pyrolysis.
• Automated workflows using sequence tables and multi-mode sampling.

Future Trends and Potential Uses

Advances may include integration with automated data-processing and machine-learning tools, expansion of pyrolysis libraries for new polymers and biomaterials, higher-temperature furnaces for carbonaceous residue analysis, and coupling with alternative detectors (FT-IR, time-of-flight MS) for enhanced structural elucidation.

Conclusion

The EGA/PY-3030D multi-shot pyrolyzer offers superior thermal performance, reliability and versatility for polymer and material characterization. Its faster heating/cooling, improved throughput and multi-mode capacity make it a powerful tool for research, industry and QA/QC applications while remaining compatible with established data libraries.

Used Instrumentation

• Multi-Shot Pyrolyzer EGA/PY-3030D with ceramic micro-furnace
• Interface transfer line (ITF) and deactivated EGA capillary tube
• Auto-Shot Sampler AS-2020E
• Carrier Gas Selector CGS-1050Ex
• Selective Sampler SS-2010E
• MicroJet Cryo-Trap MJT-2030E
• Ultra ALLOY® metal capillary columns
• F-Search analysis software with polymer and additive libraries

Reference

Shimadzu Corporation. Frontier Laboratories Multi-functional Pyrolyzer EGA/PY-3030D Application Note. First Edition, October 2012.