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Block copolymer molecular weight determination via gel permeation chromatography: Choosing a combining rule
Author(s) -
Sebastian John M.,
Register Richard A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.2051
Subject(s) - copolymer , polystyrene , gel permeation chromatography , polybutadiene , polymer chemistry , materials science , tetrahydrofuran , polymer , molar mass distribution , toluene , calibration curve , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , solvent , composite material , detection limit
We present a method for accurately determining the true molecular weights of narrow‐distribution block copolymers, using only a basic gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) equipped with a refractive index detector and calibrated with polystyrene standards. Our approach is based on the well‐known observation that GPC calibration curves for different homopolymers in good solvents are essentially parallel, allowing the curves for different polymers to be described by simple hydrodynamic equivalence ratios r B versus polystyrene. We present values of r B , in both toluene and tetrahydrofuran, for various polydiene and hydrogenated polydiene homopolymers commonly incorporated into commercial styrenic block copolymers. These values of r B must be combined to yield the hydrodynamic equivalence ratio of the block copolymer, from which the block copolymer's true molecular weight can be determined. Three combining rules proposed in the literature are tested against a series of symmetric polystyrene–polybutadiene diblock copolymers of varying molecular weight. A simple linear combining rule accurately represents the results. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2056–2069, 2001