The Use of Size Exclusion Chromatography in the Studies of Crosslinking and Chain Scission in Polymers

Abstract

Depending on the various modes of initiation Crosslinking and Chain Scission processes may be affected by chemical agents, heat, light, high-energy radiation, shearing forces, ultrasonic vibrations, rapid freezing of a polymer solution, high speed stirring, enzymes, bacteria, etc. in natural and synthetic polymers. The two main processes discussed in this meeting, namely crosslinking and chain scission cause important changes in the size of polymer chains. When one is concerned with the changes produced in the size of polymer chains either due to degradation which leads to chain scission or crosslinking which causes an increase in thir sizes, SEC becomes one of the most useful techniques provided that the polymer under investigation retains its solubility in the solvent studied. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) is an important technique for determining the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of polymers in dilute solution.