Characterizing Molecular Structure in Synthetic and Natural Polymers by Multi-Angle Light Scattering
Presented by: Stepan Podzimek, Ph.D., Polymer Chemistry Department, University of Pardubice
Presented Live: November 22, 2016
Nowadays, in the majority of polymer characterization the standard-calibrated SEC is the employed method. However, as SEC itself is not an absolute technique, it typically provides incorrect information about the molar mass distribution and no additional information about the molecular structure. Especially branched and/or ultra-high molar mass molecules have been shown to exhibit abnormal elution behavior which leads to wrong description of molar mass distribution.
In this webinar the principles of detection and characterization of polymers by multi-angle light scattering (MALS) coupled with SEC will be discussed. It will be elucidated how SEC failures can be overcome using the absolute method of MALS. Combination of SEC with a MALS detector also enables to determine the branching distribution and calculate average branching ratios. Moreover, the attendants will learn about the advantages of field flow fractionation for the separation of large and branched macromolecules; and also how combination of SEC with a MALS detector and an online viscometer can provide fundamental description of polymer properties and deep insight into the polymer structure.