Preface
Polyolefins are the most widely used synthetic polymers and their production
capacities are rapidly increasing. Polyolefins are produced from very simple
monomers containing only carbon and hydrogen, yet they exhibit very complex
molecular structures. As all other synthetic polymers, polyolefins are distributed
regarding various molecular properties, including molar mass, chemical composition, microstructure and molecular topology.
One consequence of the complex structure of polyolefins is the need for
advanced analytical methods that provide accurate and quantitative information
on the different parameters of molecular heterogeneity. In addition to analysis of
bulk properties by spectroscopic methods, emphasis is on the analysis of property
distributions that require suitable fractionation methods. If the material is
distributed in more than one molecular property, multidimensional fractionations
or the combination of fractionation and spectroscopic analysis might be required.
High temperature fractionation methods must be used because most polyolefins are
semi-crystalline and do not dissolve in common solvents at ambient temperatures.
Powerful and well established methods include high temperature size exclusion
chromatography (HT-SEC) for molar mass analysis, temperature rising elution
fractionation (TREF) and crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) for
the analysis of chemical composition and branching. Recently, a number of more
advanced methods including high temperature two-dimensional liquid chromatography (HT-2D-LC), temperature gradient interaction chromatography (TGIC) and
crystallization elution fractionation (CEF) have been developed.
The fractionation of polyolefins has been addressed in numerous original
publications and review articles. The most recent reviews were published by
Monrabal (Adv. Polym. Sci., 2013, 257:203–51) and the authors of this book
(Adv. Polym. Sci., 2013, 251:77–140) in 2013. These reviews provide an excellent
overview on the current status of polyolefin characterization. They do not, however,
give any detailed information on experimental protocols and procedures. To date,
no textbook has been published that addresses the experimental background of
different polyolefin fractionation techniques in great detail. This challenge is now
addressed in the present textbook.
Similar to the previous textbooks in the Springer Laboratory Series, this laboratory manual is written for beginners as well as for experienced scientists. The
subject of the book is the description of the experimental approach for the analysis
v
Polyolefins are the most widely used synthetic polymers and their production
capacities are rapidly increasing. Polyolefins are produced from very simple
monomers containing only carbon and hydrogen, yet they exhibit very complex
molecular structures. As all other synthetic polymers, polyolefins are distributed
regarding various molecular properties, including molar mass, chemical composition, microstructure and molecular topology.
One consequence of the complex structure of polyolefins is the need for
advanced analytical methods that provide accurate and quantitative information
on the different parameters of molecular heterogeneity. In addition to analysis of
bulk properties by spectroscopic methods, emphasis is on the analysis of property
distributions that require suitable fractionation methods. If the material is
distributed in more than one molecular property, multidimensional fractionations
or the combination of fractionation and spectroscopic analysis might be required.
High temperature fractionation methods must be used because most polyolefins are
semi-crystalline and do not dissolve in common solvents at ambient temperatures.
Powerful and well established methods include high temperature size exclusion
chromatography (HT-SEC) for molar mass analysis, temperature rising elution
fractionation (TREF) and crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) for
the analysis of chemical composition and branching. Recently, a number of more
advanced methods including high temperature two-dimensional liquid chromatography (HT-2D-LC), temperature gradient interaction chromatography (TGIC) and
crystallization elution fractionation (CEF) have been developed.
The fractionation of polyolefins has been addressed in numerous original
publications and review articles. The most recent reviews were published by
Monrabal (Adv. Polym. Sci., 2013, 257:203–51) and the authors of this book
(Adv. Polym. Sci., 2013, 251:77–140) in 2013. These reviews provide an excellent
overview on the current status of polyolefin characterization. They do not, however,
give any detailed information on experimental protocols and procedures. To date,
no textbook has been published that addresses the experimental background of
different polyolefin fractionation techniques in great detail. This challenge is now
addressed in the present textbook.
Similar to the previous textbooks in the Springer Laboratory Series, this laboratory manual is written for beginners as well as for experienced scientists. The
subject of the book is the description of the experimental approach for the analysis
v