WP2304: Analysis of polymers in organic solvents by FFF-MALS

This white paper reviews FFF-MALS and its application to the characterization of technical polymers in organic solvents. The results acquired by FFF-MALS are contrasted with those produced by SEC-MALS, which often fails to describe the true molecular structure of many technically important polymers such as elastomers, acrylic emulsion copolymers, branched polymers or macromolecular materials containing nanogels or nanoparticles. Even for samples that are amenable to SEC-MALS analysis, FFF-MALS can be helpful in confirming the presence of high-molar mass species that may be adsorbed and/or degraded by SEC columns, and thus remain undetected.