Elution behavior of polyethylene and polypropylene standards on carbon sorbents

Abstract

The elution behavior of linear polyethylene and isotactic, atactic and syndiotactic polypropylene was tested using three different carbon column packings: porous graphite (Hypercarb), porous zirconium oxide covered with carbon (ZirChrom-CARB), and activated carbon TA 95. Several polar solvents with boiling points above 150 °C were selected as mobile phases: 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, n-decanol, cyclohexylacetate, hexylacetate, cyclohexanone, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and one non-polar solvent, n-decane. Polyethylene standards were completely or partially adsorbed in all tested sorbent/solvent systems. Polypropylene standards were partially adsorbed on Hypercarb and carbon TA95, but did not adsorb on ZirChrom-CARB. ZirChrom-CARB retained polyethylene pronouncedly when 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, cyclohexylacetate or hexylacetate were used as mobile phases at temperature 150 or 160 °C, while all three basic stereoisomers of polypropylene eluted in size exclusion mode in these sorbent/solvent pairs. This is very different from the system Hypercarb/1-decanol, which separated polypropylene according to its tacticity. The opposite elution behavior of polyethylene and polypropylene in system ZirChrom-CARB/2-ethyl-1-hexanol (polypropylene eluted, polyethylene fully adsorbed) enabled to realize separation of blends of polyethylene and polypropylene. Ethylene/1-hexene copolymers were separated according to their chemical composition using system Hypercarb/2-ethyl-1-hexanol/1,2,4-trichlorobenzene.