ARS | Publication request: Sub-10-Minute Characterization of an Ultrahigh Molar Mass Polymer by Multi-detector Hydrodynamic Chromatography

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 5, 2010
Publication Date: March 5, 2010
Citation: Brewer, A.K., Isenberg, S.L., Cote, G.L., Striegel, A.M. 2010. Sub-10-minute characterization of an ultrahigh molar mass polymer by multi-detector hydrodynamic chromatography [abstract]. Pittsburgh Conference. 1740-14P.

Technical Abstract: Molar mass averages, distributions, and architectural information of polymers are routinely obtained using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). It has previously been shown that ultrahigh molar mass polymers may experience degradation during SEC analysis, leading to inaccurate molar mass averages and distributions with direct effect on the polymers’ processing and end-use properties. Here we have implemented a gentler technique, hydrodynamic chromatography, to characterize the ultrahigh molar mass polysaccharide alternan (Mw approx. 50 million g/mol). We have shown that HDC using organic solvents, coupled to a quadruple detector system composed of multi-angle static light scattering (MALS), quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS), differential viscometry (VISC), and differential refractometry (DRI), can be used to characterize ultrahigh molar mass polymers accurately and faster than SEC. Both the molar mass and radius of gyration averages obtained using HDC/MALS compare better to off-line MALS data than do results obtained using SEC/MALS. Moreover, the HDC analyses take less than 10 minutes, whereas the SEC analyses take over 3 hours. Size, shape, and architectural information for alternan were obtained through a multiplicity of sizing parameters (the root-mean-square, hydrodynamic, viscometric, and thermodynamic radii) and their dimensionless ratios, by incorporating additional viscometric and quasi-elastic light scattering detectors onto the HDC/MALS set-up.