Analysis of Efflorescence on Surfaces

Efflorescence can occur on materials such as glass, concrete or other materials. It

arises from the migration of components to the surface of the material.
Efflorescence is most common on plastics and is then referred to as “blooming”.
Blooming in plastics is most often caused by incorrect dosage of formulation
components, long storage under unfavorable climatic conditions, or the use of
additives that are incompatible with the polymer or other additives.

The properties of a plastic can be changed in a targeted manner by adding

additives (e.g. plasticizers, flame retardants or antioxidants). If the used additives
fail, this leads to the loss of essential properties (e.g. UV stability) and, in the long
run, often to the failure of the plastics. The damage patterns can be diverse: The
material’s mechanical properties may change, e.g . by the material turning brittle.
The appearance may also deteriorate. The material may turn yellowing, get a matt,
rough or greasy surface or discolor. The surface effects are commonly examined in
the Tascon laboratory. Of course, polymer processors have a great interest in
understanding the damage that occurs, recognizing the cause and avoiding the
problem in the future. Analytical methods such as ToF-SIMS, FT-IR or XPS
(ESCA) can provide helpful information, as the following example of the analysis of
blooming on plastic shows:

Blooming on polymers and plastics

Root cause analysis using ToF-SIMS

Anomalies on surfaces, such as discoloration, are often due to segregation, i.e.

migration to the surface of the material components. Figure 1 shows a microscopic
picture taken in our

laboratory of a
crystalline bloom on polypropylene (PP), which was characterized using ToF-SIMS.
In order to clearly identify the structures that appear crystalline, the chemical
composition of the surface was imaged, shown in figure 2. This ToF-SIMS image
shows lithium stearate (in blue) on the surface of the PP base polymer (in red) and
the stabilizer Ultranox 626 (in green) in the area of the crystalline structure. The
crystalline needle structure of the additive material is clearly visible. An analysis
with interferometric profilometry at the Tascon laboratory revealed that the bloom
had a height of up to 8 µm.

Tascon - your partner for the study of blooming

If you are interested in further details, contact the experts at Tascon in the
laboratory for the analysis and investigation of blooming or efflorescence on any
surface.
Related applications
Detection of additives
Analysis of paint craters
Coating analysis
Cleanliness analysis of surfaces
Areas of application
Get in touch. Contact one of our analytical professio