ABSTRACT
Processing polymers into fine particles is critical for consistent performance in research, manufacturing, and recycling. However, traditional grinding methods at room temperature generate heat, leading to material degradation, inconsistent particle sizes, and potential contamination issues.
Cryogenic grinding, or cryo-milling, addresses these issues by using very low temperatures to embrittle polymers, enabling cleaner fracture and more controlled size reduction while preserving the sample’s composition. Cooling materials below their glass transition temperature (Tg)—often sited as below -150 ºC—promotes brittle behavior, though Tg alone is not the sole predictor of grinding performance. Additives, unknown fillers, and polymer structure can all affect embrittlement, and brittleness does not always equate to fine grindability. In practice, most polymer samples are heterogeneous and may not behave consistently.
This application note outlines the practical considerations involved in cryogenic grinding polymers, emphasizing common challenges, grinder selection, and process optimization.
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