How can you identify PE from FTIR?

Quick answer

PE is usually reported with a recurring pattern of peaks and functional-group evidence. The most useful approach is to cross-check at least two characteristic peaks before treating it as a match, then verify whether the full spectrum still fits the same material family.

Peak interpretation

Possible materials / groups

Spectrum logic

The logic here is evidence aggregation: repeated literature mentions of PE, repeated peak positions, and repeated functional-group associations. A strong material hypothesis should still be supported by multiple peaks that agree with each other, not by one headline band alone.

Real-world usage

This page is designed for polymer identification, incoming-material QC, unknown plastic analysis, recycled-content review, and literature-backed interpretation of reference spectra.

Common mistakes

• Calling a material match too early because one famous peak is present.
• Ignoring sample prep, fillers, oxidation, water, or additives that can change the apparent pattern.
• Using literature evidence without checking whether your own sampling mode and spectrum quality are comparable.

Verification advice

Use DSC, GC-MS, or TGA to validate the material hypothesis when the peak pattern is ambiguous or mixed.

Literature behind this page

• keyakinan 1.0

  PE

  Influence of the nature of pro-oxidants on the photooxidation of polyethylene blown films DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10217
• keyakinan 0.9

  PE

  Optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy with simultaneously acquired Raman spectroscopy for two-dimensional microplastic identification DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23318-2
• keyakinan 0.9

  PE

  Adhesive Hybrid SiO2.01C0.23Hx Nanoparticulate Coating on Polyethylene (PE) Separator by Roll-to-Roll Atmospheric Pressure Plasma DOI: 10.3390/coatings9030190
• keyakinan 0.9

  PE

  Microplastic concentrations, size distribution, and polymer types in the surface waters of a northern European lake DOI: 10.1002/wer.1229
• keyakinan 0.7

  PE

  Jiang 等 - 2019 - Multifaceted Characterization And In Vitro Assessm DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S214646
• keyakinan 0.7

  PE

  Xu 等 - 2020 - Physico-chemical characterization of the blooming DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2019.109046
• keyakinan 0.5

  PE

  Kundu 等 - 2021 - Identification and removal of microand nano-plas DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.129816.
• keyakinan 0.5

  PE

  Physico-chemical analysis of a silane-grafted polyethylene stabilised with an excess of Irganox 1076®. Proposal of a microstructural model DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2020.109453

• PE

  Ajji 等 - 2005 - Biaxial orientation characterization in PE and PP DOI: 10.1177/8756087905056865

• PE

  What Fate for Plastics in Artworks? An Overview of Their Identification and Degradative Behaviour DOI: 10.3390/polym13060883