## 3 Results and Discussion
### Thermogravimetry  
As mentioned in the previous section, TGA allowed for additional insight into the composition of the impression compositions, mostly the organic fraction content. On the basis of thermogravimetric analysis, onset temperatures (T\({}_{\text{onset1}}\) and T\({}_{\text{onset2}}\)), temperature of maximum mass loss rate (T\({}_{\text{max1}}\) and T\({}_{\text{max2}}\), determined from the first derivative of mass loss curve, DTG), as well as residual mass were determined (Table 3). For comparative  
Figure 4: Infrared spectra of pure potassium and sodium alignates (**A**), and the X3 formulation compared to commercial alginate products (**B**). analysis, X3, containing the highest loading of AlphaSan, was presented, as all the materials showed very similar thermal characteristics. As materials undergo heating, moisture loss can occur both on their surface and within the material. Furthermore, the chemical bonds present in the material may break down, leading to its degradation. Thermogravimetric curves of sodium and potassium ablates demonstrate two stages of decomposition, as illustrated in Figure 5A. The initial step of the process begins at approximately 47-48 \({}^{\circ}\)C and reaches the maximum mass loss rate at 66.3 \({}^{\circ}\)C as the water present on the surface undergoes evaporation. At higher temperatures (T\({}_{\rm onset2}\) = 230 \({}^{\circ}\)C), the molecules undergo thermal degradation, causing the breakdown of polysaccharide chains into smaller fragments, including monomers and by-products. During this stage, alginate decarboxylation reactions occur along with the cleavage of the glycosidic bond [38]. As a result of these processes, the weight loss is >50%. With an increase in temperature, the remaining fragments of ablates are susceptible to degradation, resulting in the release of gaseous by-products. The residual mass, approximately 30%, consists of ash and/or mineral residues, which is typical of organic substances. For commercial samples, the first stage of decomposition starts at a higher temperature (T\({}_{\rm onset1}\) between 85-96 \({}^{\circ}\)C) compared to pure ablates. This indicates that the water is evaporating from the materials. The second stage begins above 225 \({}^{\circ}\)C, which is similar  
Figure 5: TGA and DTG curves. **(A)** Pure potassium and sodium ablates; **(B)** commercial ablates and material with bacteriostatic agent (X3). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Material** & **T\({}_{\rm onset1}\) [\({}^{\circ}\)C]** & **T\({}_{\rm max1}\) [\({}^{\circ}\)C]** & **T\({}_{\rm onset2}\) [\({}^{\circ}\)C]** & **T\({}_{\rm max2}\) [\({}^{\circ}\)C]** & **Residual Mass [\%]** \\ \hline Sodium alginate & 48.1 & 66.3 & 230.6 & 244.9 & 31.1 \\ \hline Potassium Alginate & 47.6 & 66.3 & 230.8 & 242.9 & 31.8 \\ \hline Kroma Faze & 96.7 & 105.6 & 231.5 & 244.6 & 86.6 \\ \hline Tropical IQ & 85.3 & 98.2 & 224.7 & 243.3 & 80.6 \\ \hline Kromopan & 91.8 & 102.7 & 229.9 & 244.5 & 88.5 \\ \hline Elastic Cromo & 93.7 & 104.6 & 226.3 & 240.2 & 87.7 \\ \hline X3 & 95.7 & 107.5 & 229.8 & 243.5 & 86.6 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: TGA results of pure and commercial ablates. to pure Na/K alginates. This stage is responsible for breaking down the polysaccharide chains. The weight loss is lower than in the case of pure materials, due to the fact that alginates constitute a smaller percentage of the total composition. Kromopan and Elastic Cromo have the highest residual mass of 88.5% and 87.7%, respectively, which proves that they have the lowest content of pure alignates, due to containing additional components. The TGA curve of the Tropical IQ sample shows the third stage of decomposition decomposition, which reaches the maximum temperature Tmax3 at 692.6 \({}^{\circ}\)C, which matches the thermal decomposition event of the inorganic carbonates and indicated their presence in the material, as mentioned earlier in Section 3.1[39].