Novel behavior of the chromatographic separation of linear and cyclic polymers

Abstract

In various polymerization processes, the formation of a wide variety of chains, not only in length but also in chemical composition, broadly complicates comprehensive polymer characterization. In this communication, we compare different stationary and mobile phases for the analysis of complex polymer mixtures via size-exclusion chromatography-mass spectrometry (SEC-MS). To the best of our knowledge, we report novel chromatographic effects for the separation of linear and cyclic oligomers for polyesters (PE) and polyurethanes (PUR). A complete separation for the different structures was achieved for both polymer types with a single-solvent system (acetonitrile, ACN) and without extensive optimization. Additionally, cyclic species were found to show an inverse elution profile compared to their linear counterparts, suggesting distinct physical properties between species.

Graphical abstract

Novel chromatographic separation of cyclic and linear polymers.

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