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Two‐dimensional liquid chromatography with active solvent modulation for studying monomer incorporation in copolymer dispersants
Author(s) -
Yang Peilin,
Gao Wei,
Zhang Tianlan,
Pursch Matthias,
Luong Jim,
Sattler Wesley,
Singh Anurima,
Backer Scott
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.201900283
Subject(s) - copolymer , solvent , polymer , itaconic acid , acrylic acid , dispersant , monomer , vinyl acetate , chromatography , hydrophilic interaction chromatography , thermoresponsive polymers in chromatography , materials science , chemistry , size exclusion chromatography , polymer chemistry , high performance liquid chromatography , organic chemistry , dispersion (optics) , physics , optics , enzyme
A pseudo‐comprehensive two‐dimensional liquid chromatography approach with size exclusion chromatography in the first dimension and gradient reversed‐phase liquid chromatography in the second dimension was successfully developed for the characterization of vinyl acetate/acrylic acid copolymers and vinyl acetate/itaconic acid/acrylic acid terpolymers. Active solvent modulation was exploited to prevent the polymer breakthrough in the second dimension separation caused by the strong solvent used in the first dimension. The conditions of the active solvent modulation valve were optimized to achieve sufficient on‐line dilution and to completely prevent polymer breakthrough without adding excessive time to the modulation cycle. Using this approach, copolymers made with different monomer ratios and processes were studied. Heterogeneous composition distribution due to insufficient monomer incorporation was detected in some of the copolymer samples. We demonstrated that with active solvent modulation, the two‐dimensional liquid chromatography approach is no longer limited to water‐soluble polymers and can be used for a broader range of polymers and copolymers.