Abstract
The study presents the possibility to replace the 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) for the analysis by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of low-density polyethylenes (LDPE) with dibutoxymethane (DBM, butylal), a halogen free and less toxic solvent. The molecular weight distributions and the viscosity plots were measured for commercial LDPE samples solubilized in TCB, and DBM, using a GPC system with triple detection (light scattering, differential refractive index and viscometer). Similar results were obtained in both solvents for the molecular weight and long chain branching distributions of the analyzed resins, thus confirming the possibility to replace TCB with DBM for the analysis by high-temperature GPC of all types of polyolefins.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude for all the valuable and constructive comments we have received from the GPC experts during the Agilent Polymers Day 2015 and International Symposium on GPC/SEC & Related Techniques 2015 conferences where we presented preliminary results of our work.
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Published in the topical collection 2015 International Symposium on GPC/SEC and Related Techniques with guest editor André M. Striegel.
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Boborodea, A., Mirabella, F.M. & O’Donohue, S. Characterization of Low-Density Polyethylene in Dibutoxymethane by High-Temperature Gel Permeation Chromatography with Triple Detection. Chromatographia 79, 971–976 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-016-3047-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-016-3047-7