| Methods | Size | Identification | Characteristic fragment ions | LOQ (ng/g) | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyr-GC/MS | >1 μm | PLA | 2,3-pentadione; meso-lactide (3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dion); DL-lactide (3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dion); methyl 2-hydroxypropanoate; methyl 2-methoxypropanoate | 50 | Destructive method; Particle size distribution and shape cannot be obtained |
| PCL | ε-caprolactone; dimer of ε-caprolactone; trimer of ε-caprolactone; pentyl pent-4-enoate; 5-oxo-5-(pentyloxy)pentyl pent-4-enoate; 5-hexenoic acid; 6-(5-hexenoyloxy)hexanoic acid; methyl 6-methoxyhexanoate | 30 | |||
| PBS | tetrahydrofuran; 1,4-butanediol; 3-dibutenyl succinate; 3-butenyl-4-hydroxybutyl succinate; bis(4-hydroxybutyl) succinate; dibut-3-enyl-butane-1,4-diyl disuccinate; dimethyl succinate; butylene glycol methyl ether | 40 | |||
| PBAT | tetrahydrofuran; cyclopentanone; benzoic acid; 3-butenyl 4-hydroxybutyl adipate; 2-((but-3-enyloxy)carbonyl)benzoic acid; dimethyl terephthalate; dimethyl hexanedioate | 30 | |||
| PHAs | 2-butenoic acid (cis); 2-butenoic acid (trans); 1H-indene,1-chloro-2,3-dihydromethyl 2-butenoate (cis); methyl 2-butenoate (trans) | 20 | |||
| LC-MS/MS | 0.075,0.15, and 2 mm | PLA | lactic acid | 18.7 | Simultaneous detection is not possible |
| TED-GC/MS | >1 μm | PLA | propanoic acid propenoic acid 3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxan-2,5-dione | / | Not applicable to complex organic systems |
| PBAT | terephthalic acid dibut-3-enyl ester adipic acid dibut-3-enyl ester 1,6-dioxacyclododecane-7,12-dione |
