Volatile organic compound emissions from automotive interior materials: Material selection implications for...

There is an increasing trend in the use of polymeric materials in vehicle interior compartments. While these materials offer advantages such as design flexibility, reduced weight, and improved aesthetics, a key challenge is the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly under elevated temperatures typical of vehicle cabin conditions. These emissions can adversely affect in‑vehicle air quality and may contribute to occupant exposure. However, limited information is available on VOC emissions from automotive interior materials, which are typically evaluated using whole‑vehicle chamber methods or component‑level bag methods. In this study, VOC emissions from a wide range of automotive interior materials-including plastics, textiles, foams, rubbers, and composites-were quantified using thermal desorption (TD) and headspace (HS) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Emission behaviour was evaluated as a function of material type, temperature (50-100 °C), and sample size. The materials investigated represent common categories of automotive interior components; however, they do not correspond to specific manufacturer formulations and are intended for comparative, material‑level emission screening. Composite and foam materials exhibited the highest total VOC (TVOC) emissions, reaching up to 3713.09 ng g⁻¹, with toluene identified as the dominant contributor across all materials. VOC emissions increased significantly with temperature, with up to a 2.7-7.3 fold between 50 and 100 °C depending on material, while sample size had a limited influence on mass‑normalized emission rates. A strong correlation (R² = 0.93) between TD and HS methods confirms their consistency for material screening applications. The findings highlight the critical role of material selection and thermal exposure in influencing VOC emissions. The results are particularly relevant for comparative evaluation of material categories during early design stages and support the use of rapid screening methods for comparative material evaluation in the context of in‑vehicle air quality.