Size Exclusion Chromatography

Book excerpt: 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.