Howard G. Barth - Böcker

Presents the methods used for characterization of polymers. In addition to theory and basic principles, the instrumentation and apparatus necessary for methods used to study the kinetic and thermodynamic interactions of a polymer with its environment are covered in detail. Some of the methods examined include polymer separations and characterization by size exclusion and high performance chromatography, inverse gas chromatography, osmometry, viscometry, ultracentrifugation, light scattering and spectroscopy.

Specialists in the field discuss the latest developments in particle size analysis, presenting an overview of state-of-the-art methodologies and data interpretation. Topics include commercial instrumentation, photon correlation spectroscopy, Fraunhofer Diffraction, field-flow fractionation, and detection systems for particle chromatography.

Although size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is perhaps the most popular and widely used technique for determining the molecular weight distribution of polymeric materials, there have been very few texts written on this topic. During the past decade, SEC has experienced a considerable amount of growth in regard to column and detector technology and new applications. With these advances, SEC can now be used for determining absolute molecular weight, polymer chain conformation and size, and branching, as well as polymer solution properties. This book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of SEC with emphasis on practical aspects of the technique, such as column and mobile selection, calibration, new detector capabilities and guidelines for performing SEC on most types of polymers, especially those of industrial importance. This book is intended for either those new to the field of SEC, or for those research workers who require a more comprehensive background.