Pyrolysis-gas chromatograph mass spectrometer （Pyrolysis -GC-MS） is an analytical system that combines GC-MS with a pyrolysis device. GC-MS is widely used to measure organic compounds not only in the field of chemistry but also in various fields. It is also adopted as standard methods of many official laws in Japan such as the Water Supply Act. Various pretreatment devices are available for GC-MS for efficient sample introduction, and one of them is the pyrolysis device. Pyrolysis-GC-MS is now an important system for the analysis of polymer samples such as resins, rubbers and their contents. Although analysis by pyrolysis-GC-MS may refer to GC/MS analysis of pyrolysates, the application of Py-GC-MS introduced in this article will be described as an analytical method that includes not only pyrolysis but also various heating methods such as thermal desorption. In this section, the principles, fundamentals, and analytical methods of GC-MS are explained, followed by the principles and analytical methods of pyrolysis-GC-MS and examples of its analysis.

This review describes some basic characteristic properties appeared on the solid-state 13C CPMAS NMR spectra. The magic-angle spinning （MAS） produces the isotropic chemical shift, and the appearance of the artificial spinning-side band（SSB） with some MAS ratios on the spectrum is exhibited. The cross-polarization（CP） transfer from 1H to 13C significantly enhances the rigid phase such as crystalline phase：the difference in the appearance of spectra between the CP and DP （direct-polarization：one pulse） experiments for crystalline polymers is demonstrated. In addition, the differences of the 13C CPMAS NMR spectra depending on the length of the CP contact time or temperature are shown. Finally, the spectral change by an intermolecular dehydration reaction occurring in a polymer blend after heat treatment is shortly discussed. Furthermore, 1H spin-lattice relaxation phenomenon applied to a polymer blend to investigate the domain size is also touched upon.

A scanning probe microscope（SPM）can easily measure the topographic of a sample surface as 3D information at nanometer-scale resolution. A small probe is scanned near the sample surface to detect and image interactions between the probe and the sample surface. The physical quantity to be measured depends on the detected interaction, and in addition to the topography, distribution of physical quantities such as surface potential, current, and viscoelasticity can also be measured. Here, among various functions of SPM, a phase mode and a force mapping useful for the evaluation of polymeric material deeply related to adhesion is described. About the phase mode, in addition to the operation principle, the evaluation of the dispersion state of the polymer blend material and the example which captured the change of the viscoelastic distribution of polymer film by heating are introduced. About the force mapping, in addition to the operation principle, examples of capturing the viscoelastic domains with few ten nanometer of polymer films and examples of comparing the mechanical properties of different contact lenses are presented.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） is widely used not only for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements （Li to U） existing in the surface of several nanometers, but also for the analysis of chemical bonding states that affect the properties of materials. In this paper, the principle of XPS, an overview of the equipment, analysis methods, and examples of its application to natural lacquer, which has been used as an adhesive and paint for a long time, were introduced. As a result, elemental analysis of the surface and bulk of the lacquer film revealed that the surface has higher concentrations of oxygen and nitrogen than those of the bulk. Furthermore, chemical bonding state analysis revealed that plant gums and glycoproteins（ nitrogen-containing compounds） are concentrated on the surface of the lacquer film. Such a surface structure improves the durability of the lacquer film.

Polymers are used in various application surrounding us. The physical and chemical properties of polymers are closely related to their molecular mass, therefore it is important to evaluate molecular mass and molecular mass distribution of the polymers in both development and quality control. Therefore, simple but accurate measurement method is required. In recent years, Size-Exclusion Chromatography（SEC）has been widely used as the method to evaluate molecular mass and molecular mass distribution of numerous polymers produced in chemical industry, due to its simple operation and precise measurement. SEC is classified as a separation mode in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography（HPLC）．Samples are separated based on molecular size without interaction between packing materials and sample molecules in principle. Due to the simplicity of the separation mechanism, SEC is likely to be thought to get precise measurement easily. But elution conditions by SEC should be established after careful investigation of several chromatographic parameters. In this review, principle of SEC and the optimization of SEC conditions are described for polymer analysis including actual samples.

TMA（Thermomechanical Analysis）is a method for measuring deformation（change in length）depending on temperature changes, can determine the coefficient of thermal expansion. Furthermore, if deformation occurs due to phase transition, the transition temperature can be examined. DMA（Dynamic Mechanical Analysis）is a method to measure changes in viscoelastic properties depending on temperature changes. As with TMA, if a change in elastic modulus occurs due to a phase transition or the like, the transition temperature can be examined. The dimensions of adhesives change depending on the curing reaction. And the softening behavior is different due to control the degree of curing according to the purpose of use. The adhesive strength after curing may also vary depending on the environmental temperature used. Therefore, the evaluation by TMA and DMA is necessary for adhesives.