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Note: this service is for Research Use Only and Not intended for clinical use.
Alfa Chemistry provides commercial goods deformulation (Reverse Engineering) services to a variety of industry covering plastics, coatings, adhesives, rubber products, pharmaceutical, medical devices, consumer & industrial detergents, textiles, inks, composites, household health and beauty products, as well as specialty products. Deformulation of a product, is the process of deconstructing its components, revealing its material, formulation, or even specific identity and quantity information. There are many scenarios to consider reverse engineering support, for example, an OEM ink company wanted to pursue a lawsuit against generic inkjet manufactures due to latter's patent infringement. Then the deformulation of generic ink need to be carefully studied. We are here to ensure the material you received is the same material as the previous version, make sure the batch-to-batch formulated drugs/chemicals are absent of defects/variations, double check whether the slip agent is well mixed into the plastic closure, and compare the performance of competitor's products and yours. Numerous analytical techniques are available at Alfa Chemistry such as: thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC-FID), mass spectroscopy (MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography (IC), raman spectroscopy, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy (UV/VIS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), induced coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy, etc. Our scientists will work with you internally to develop the most efficient deformulation plan and to select the most appropriate techniques for your project.
Plastic deformulation provides an integrated deconstruction of the material's components and can show you what types of plastics they are, like PP, PE or others. This process includes the separation, identification and quantitation of ingredients composed in the plastic.
For deformulation or reverse engineering of plastic materials, Alfa Chemistry can identify and quantify various types of components, such as flame retardants, impact modifiers, lubricants, polymers, pigments, plasticizers, process aids, reinforcements, resins, stabilizers and so on. We can identify these substances down to ppm level using specialized techniques. We usually cut the plastic into a fine mesh size, and then choose proper solvent to extract various components from the plastic. Once the materials are extracted, they can be identified using a number of analytical instruments such as: GC-MS, LC-MS, GPC, IPC-OES, FTIR, XRF, Raman, DSC, SEM/EDS and so on.
A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object such as metal, fabric and plastic etc. The purpose of applying the coating may be protection, insulation, decoration and so on. We can provide deformulation for various types of coatings or paints including acrylic coatings, polyurethane coatings, epoxy coatings, silicone coatings and UV coatings.
Deformulation of coatings can provide specific information about the chemical composition of the products and conduct the qualitative and quantitative analysis of each component which is an effective technique to obtain sample formulation data. Deformulation can make quality assessment and control of your coatings to help you quickly find the root reasons for cracks, foreign materials, spots, residues and failure in the production process. Further product performance optimization, manufacturing costs reduction and market competitiveness increase can be achieved with comprehensive deformulation studies.
Adhesives, also known asglue, cement, mucilage, orpaste are widely used in various industries. There are many kinds of adhesives with different functions. For example, adhesive used in sticky note is pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), adhesive used in composite wood is urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive. We can provide deformulation or reverse engineering for various types of adhesives including acrylic adhesives, polyurethane (PU) adhesives, epoxy adhesives, UV adhesives, etc.
Rubber has been used in automobile (tire, airbags), flooring, clothing, natural rubber gaskets, erasers, gloves, latex, anti-vibration, etc. The wide applications of rubber inevitably generate more needs for reverse engineering studies. The goal of rubber deformulation is to obtain information on polymer content and types, flame retardant content and types, filler content and types, carbon black contents, as well as plasticizer content and types. Quantitative solvent extraction is normally performed in the initiate tests. Then Thermogravimetric Analysis, FTIR, X-Ray Fluorescence, GC-MS analysis will provide to extract detail information about oxides presence (such as antimony trioxide as a flame retardant, zinc oxide in nitrile rubber), element mapping, polymer ratio, VOC content, total inorganic content, antidegradants, accelerator, curing system, etc. Alfa Chemistry experts will examine the sample's chemical, thermal, analytical, physical, and mechanical properties in order to offer a thorough deformulation study.
Deformulation of pharmaceuticals can unravel the composition of the drug/excipient and generate critical information about its morphometric, chemical and physical properties. It is of undeniable importance that systematical analytical studies need to be done prior to create generic drugs. This information will be utilized to quantify the components in reference listed drug (RLD) or identify counterfeit medicine. The formulated generic drug must directly demonstrate the same ingredients (Q1), the same quantities (Q2) and the same bioequivalence (Q3) as the RLD. Our analytical team will help perform a detailed analysis to identify, quantify and characterize the RLD in order to figure out the original active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and its excipients and their concentrations. Both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are frequently used to optimize particle size, morphology and roughness of pharmaceutical materials. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography & Mass Spectroscopy (Pyro GC-MS), XRD, HPLC can be performed strategically to extract information about the medicine in order to develop generic drugs that meet the abbreviated new drug application (ANDA)-approved standards.
Alfa Chemistry medical device testing team can help develop innovative solutions in medical devices deformulation, such as Raw Material Analysis, Additive Analysis, Commercial Fatigue & Durability Analysis, Failure Analysis, Microbial Identification, Formulation & Process Development, Method Development & Validation, etc. We have experience in studying IV bags, leachables from dry powder inhalers, dental implant, and knee/spinal devices, etc. Experts at Alfa Chemistry are well versed in method development, protocol establishment, as well as feasibility studies to support your medical device analysis need.
Household, commercial, and industrial cleaning products, such as Carpet Cleaners, Industrial Equipment Cleaners, Laundry Detergents & Whitening Aids, Automotive Wipes, Polishes & Waxes, etc., are essential to our clean and healthy life. Detergents and cleaners typically contain several ingredients such as surfactant, optical brighteners, perfumes, and pH adjustment. Enzymes may present in biological detergents. While many detergents have similar components, proprietary or ingenious additives can affect performance. The surfactants in detergents can improve wettability, liquid spread over surface or in depth penetration into cloth fibers. Alfa Chemistry has developed a wide variety of analytical methods to meet your detergents/cleaners deformulation need. We can help you solve product failure problem, identify and quantify different ingredients and even help develop environment-friendly products at your will.
Textiles have an important bearing on our daily lives. The basic components of textiles are nature fibres and man-made fibres. Textiles and fibres can be made with a variety of treatments to satisfy consumers' need. Such as breathable fabrics used for common garments, antibacterial fabrics, lab coats, doctor uniforms, hospital gowns, antistain fabrics, waterproof fabric used in all sorts of products from umbrellas to raincoats, UV protection fabric, furniture coverings, car seats, flame retardant fabric, home textiles, and any other applications which are safe to wear and use. However, some of the treatment substances can also be harmful to human body and environment, such as brominated flame retardants, biological active substances, surfactant, dye, anti-stain/anti-water/anti-oil substances PFOA/PFOS and so on.
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of device, object or system through analysis of its structure, function and operation. Alfa Chemistry can reverse engineer textiles used in garments and upholstery. Just give us a sample and we will conduct a series of chemical, physical property and biological activity verification using advanced techniques to meet your product development need.
Inks for laser printers are a kind of powder particles called toner. Various mixed ingredients compose toner powder such as carbon powder, resin, pigment, charge agent, magnetic powder and so on. Different from the printing materials (ink and paper) of general printers, 3D printing inks are sometime made from metal, ceramics, plastics, sand, etc. At present, 3D printing is mainly used for precision industry, such as spaceflight, medicine, automobile manufacturing and so on. Ink for packaging is a kind of liquid or paste containing pigments that can be used to color a surface to produce an image, text or design. Ink is a complex mixture that is composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescents, and other materials. Many inks always contain heavy metals, non-renewable oils and volatile organic compounds which are harmful to people's health. Especially inks for food packaging, there is high risk for these toxic substances to migrate to food. So it is necessary to develop environment friendly inks. The deformulation studies of inks typically involve a lot of advanced analysis instruments, such as GC-FID, GC-MS, HPLC, IC, FTIR, UV/VIS, ICP-OES, NMR and so on, together with optimized extraction and separation methods. We can provide detailed data that facilitates the understanding of inks from formulation to ingredient concentration and help you better develop your ink products or analysis the failure causes.
Composites are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more materials that, when combined, are stronger than those individual materials by themselves. And those individual materials remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or microscopic scale within the finished structure. The composites matrix types contain polymer matrix, metal matrix, ceramic matrix and carbon (graphite) matrix. The composites may also contain fillers, additives, core materials or surface finishes reinforcing the matrix and improving the manufacturing process, appearance and performance of the final product.
Alfa Chemistry uses advanced equipment for composites reverse engineering studies including TOF-SIMS, GPC, DSC/DTA, GC-MS, FTIR, NMR, SEM-EDS, ICP, LC-MS, XRD, and so on. Our reverse engineering expertise can provide physical and chemical analysis of materials, characterization of elements, structural composition and additional information for your composites deformulation studies.
Health and beauty products, including fragrances, makeup, hair care and coloring products, sunscreen, toothpaste, bathing, nail care, etc., are necessities of people's daily life. The household detergent is a product specially formulated for cleaning. The form of household, health and beauty products usually presents as powder, block, paste, putty and liquid, etc. Household, health and beauty products including gels, lotions, creams, ointments, detergents and surfactant are generally mixtures of chemical compounds which are chemical synthetics or active ingredients extracted from nature plants.
Deformulation or reverse engineering of the formulation of household, health and beauty products provides specific information about the chemical composition of the products and how these components interact. Deformulation can help identify which chemicals, substances or materials are contained in a product at a chemical level showing merit and demerit of each product, providing your marketing team invaluable information.
Multiple layer film materials are produced by coating one or more layers of materials with different properties on a layer of material with a micro/nanometer-scale thickness. Since the electrical, magnetic and chemical properties of the layers are different, the multiple layer films will have some superior characteristics. It can be used in anti-corrosion coating, fuel cell and biomedical transplantation and so on.
High temperature engineered materials offer significant retention of physical properties, dimensional stability, and excellent electrical characteristics. Many refractory materials and heat-resistant materials, inorganic compounds and high-molecular polymer materials belong to high temperature engineered materials.
Alfa Chemistry can help identify the chemical class and function of components and propose alternative components for a certain chemical function in special products. The typical components are binders or filler materials, pigments, dyes, UV stabilizers, dispersants, activators and inhibitors, synergists, wetting agents, etc.
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