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Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection

What is GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography)?

Polymer

Dissolved in a suitable solvent and temperature

Injection

Choice of experimental conditions (temperature, eluent, GPC columns, etc.) depending on the polymer studied

Separation by “steric exclusion”:
molecules with a higher molar mass are poorly retained by the porosity of the GPC column and therefore eluted first.
Conversely, the smallest molecules are eluted last.

Calibration

Number average molar mass Mn
Weight average molar mass Mw
Polydispersity index
Ip = Mw/Mn …

Application of GPC for the study of aging polymers

Photo-oxidation

Thermo-oxidation

Oxidative hydrolysis

Polymer chain cuts

Changes in the polymer molar mass distribution (Mn, Mw, Ip) that can be characterized by GPC

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), also known as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), is a widely used analytical technique in the field of polymers. It makes it possible to determine the distribution of molecular masses of polymers in solution.

GPC is particularly useful for characterizing polymers due to their polydisperse nature, that is, they consist of chains of different lengths. Using GPC, we can separate these chains based on their size, providing valuable information on molecular mass distribution.

GPC analyzes offer several possibilities in the field of polymers:

  1. Determination of Average Molecular Mass: GPC allows the calculation of the average molecular mass of a polymer, which is essential for understanding its physical properties and performance in various applications.</li >
  2. Molecular mass distribution: By separating different populations of polymer chains based on their size, GPC provides detailed information about the molecular mass distribution of a polymer. This can be crucial to ensure the quality and reproducibility of synthesized polymers.
  3. Polydispersity Assessment: The polydispersity of a polymer, which measures the distribution of chain sizes in a sample, can be accurately determined using GPC. Low polydispersity is often sought to obtain homogeneous materials and consistent properties.
  4. Quality control: GPC is also used to control the quality of synthesized polymers, by detecting variations in molecular mass that could result from variations in synthesis conditions or unwanted reactions.

In summary, GPC is a valuable technique in the field of polymers, providing essential information on the molecular mass, molecular weight distribution, polydispersity and quality of polymers. These data are crucial for the design, synthesis and application of polymers in a wide range of industrial fields, including plastics, coating materials, biomedical materials and more.

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