Polymer molecular weight distribution analysis at very high speed using on-line data handling

Abstract

In the past severl years, the use of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has grown rapidly in the field of polymer analysis and characterization. Molecular weight can or size distributions can be obtained from the information generated during a GPC run. However, the traditional GPC analyses have required long runs consuming large amounts of mobile phase (solvent) and time, and the data generated required considerable manipulation. The advent of porous glass size-exclusion column packings and very high-quality high-pressure pumps have led to tremendous reductin in the time and cost of GPC analyses. The use of an on-line data handling system allows a distribution analysis to be carried out in less than 15 min with unprecedented analytical precision.