Molecular weight analysis of pitches and polymeric pitches by gel-permeation chromatography

The technique of gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) has been developed as a method for measuring molecular weight distribution in pitch materials. Molecular weight calibration data were obtained from measurements made on GPC fractions collected from a standard pitch. By solubilization of the polymeric portion of pitch through a reduction with lithium in ethylenediamine, the molecular weight range for analysis was extended to in excess of 3000. Mass spectroscopy has been used to further analyze some of the GPC fractions. The GPC calibration data can be employed, with the aid of computer analysis, to determine quantitatively number-average molecular weights M?_n weight-average molecular weights M?_w, and molecular weight distribution D (= M?_w/M?_n) in pitch materials.     

Modeling the Fractionation Process in TREF Systems. III. Model Validation With Low Molecular Weight Homopolymers

Low molecular weight semicrystalline homopolymers are used as a model system for temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) analysis. An already proposed thermodynamic model for TREF analysis is used to characterize TREF fractions from low molecular weight polyethylenes M?_n = 500 to 3000 and some of their mixtures. In this molecular weight range it is possible, under appropriate crystallization, conditions, to form extended-chain crystals, and therefore lamellar thicknesses become comparable to extended-chain lengths. Lamellar thicknesses calculated from TREF spectra permit calculations of the molecular weights of the fractions, up to a limit of about 142 CH₂, where partially folded-chain crystallites appear under these operating conditions. Also homopolymers blends are fractionated and the TREF spectra analyzed to test model predictions. It is shown that appearance of chain folding may set a resolution limit to the analysis of commercial copolymers by TREF. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Comparison of number–average molecular weights calculated by GPC and membrane osmometry

Data are presented which show that when a polymer contains an appreciable amount of low molecular weight species below the diffusion limit of the osmometer membrane, the osmotic molecular weight, M?_n, is generally higher than the M?_n calculated from gel-permeation chromatography (GPC). Experiments were performed on samples of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and high-cis polybutadiene polymers. Osmotic data were obtained in the usual manner, while GPC data were obtained using the universal calibration approach. It was found that when all polymer species below approximately 10,000 molecular weight were excluded from the calculation of M?_n by GPC, agreement in M?_n was obtained between membrane osmometry and GPC. The data obtained suggest that the choice of M?_n as measured by membrane osmometry in the calibration of the GPC should not be done casually, as the measured M?_n may not reflect the “true” value of that sample, especially when the polymer sample contains an appreciable amount of low molecular weight material.     

Chain scission efficiency of some polymers in γ-radiation

The G values of poly(methyl methacrylates) (PMMA), polycarbonates, and a polylactone for γ-radiation were determined by using a computer-assisted GPC as the primary tool for the measurement of the number-average molecular weights M?_n. The accuracy and precision of the automated GPC were found to have a normalized standard deviation (σ/M?_n) of less than 7%. The G value of PMMA was determined to be essentially independent of molecular weight. For low molecular weight polymers, some nonlinearity in the I/M?_n versus dosage plot was observed at low dosage, i.e., about 1 Mrad.     

Organometallic polymers. XXV. Preparation of polyvinylferrocene

The synthetic details of solution polymerization in benzene and bulk polymerization of vinylferrocene are reported. In benzene solutions, with azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator, small yields of low-polydispersity low molecular weight (M?_n ? 5000) polyvinylferrocene is obtained. However, high yields can be obtained by continuous or multiple AIBN addition. Higher molecular weight polymers and binodal polymers can be obtained as the monomer concentration is increased. In bulk polymerizations, yields of 80% can be obtained. The molecular weight increases as temperature decreases from 80 to 60°C in bulk polymerizations, and an increasing amount of insoluble polymer results. The soluble portion is often binodal, the higher molecular weight node consisting of an increasingly branched structure. Lower molecular weight polymer was readily fractionated into narrow fractions from benzene–methanol systems, but higher molecular weight polymer proved impossible to fractionate into narrow fractions due to branching.     

Molecular weight distribution and thermal characterization of polydimethylsilmethylene

1,1,3,3-Tetramethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane (I) was polymerized under the following conditions with H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O as catalyst: (a) addition of I dropwise to a large excess of catalyst at room temperature, producing [(CH₃)₃SiCH₂(CH₃)₂Si]₂O in 90% yield; (b) polymerization at room temperature in the presence of 10% water with 23 ppm Pt, yielding 9% conversion to low molecular weight polymer after 4 weeks; (c) polymerization in an open vessel (25°C., 7 ppm Pt, M?_n = 1.2 × 10⁵), a closed vessel (100°C., 28 ppm Pt, M?_n = 1.7 × 10⁵), in a closed tube after twice freezing and evacuating (25°C., 23 ppm Pt, M?_n = 2.9 × 10⁵); (d) polymerization in an oxygen atmosphere (25°C., 17 ppm Pt, M?_n = 2.7 × 10⁵). The molecular weight distributions of the polymers with M?_n = 1.2 × 10⁵ and 1.7 × 10⁵ was studied by gel-permeation chromatography. Ratios of M?_w/M?_n are 3.1 and 2.7, respectively. In both cases a long tail of high molecular weight polymer is evident. Interpretation of the molecular weight distributions is qualitatively discussed on the basis of a postulated seven-step mechanism. Water is shown to be a source of chain termination. Evidence is presented for the existance of ?SiOSi? and ?SiOH in the silmethylene polymers. Negligible cyclization occurs. Orders of thermal stability measured by DTA and TGA for polydimethylsilmethylene (A), polydimethylsiloxane (B), and polysiobutylene (C) are: in He, A > B > C; in air, in air, B > C ? A. A fractionally precipitated polydimethylsilmethylene had a weight loss of less than 5% by 600°C. by TGA analysis at 10°C./min. in He.     

The drawing behavior of linear polyethylene. I. Rate of drawing as a function of polymer molecular weight and initial thermal treatment

The drawing behavior of a series of linear polyethylene homopolymers with weight-average molecular weight (M?_w) ranging from 67,800 to ～3,500,000 and variable distribution (M?_w/M?_n = 5.1?20.9) has been studied. Sheets were prepared by two distinct routes: either by quenching the molten polymer into cold water or by slow cooling below the crystallization temperature (～120°C) followed by quenching into cold water. When the samples (2 cm long) were drawn in air at 75°C using a crosshead speed of 10 cm/min it was found that for low M?_w polymers the initial thermal treatment has a dramatic effect on the rate at which the local deformation proceeds in the necked region. At high M?_w such effects are negligible. An important result was that comparatively high draw ratios (λ > 17) and correspondingly high Young's moduli could be obtained for a polymer with M?_w as high as 312,000. It is shown how some of the structural features of the initial materials (mainly studied by optical microscopy, small-angle x-ray scattering and low-frequency laser Raman spectroscopy) can be interpreted in terms of the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the polymers. Although crystallization and morphology can be important at low M?_w, it suggested that the concept of a molecular network which embraces both crystalline and noncrystalline material is more helpful in understanding the drawing behavior over the whole range of molecular weights.     

Polymerization of vinyl chloride with organolithium compounds. V. Fractionation and solution properties of high molecular weight poly(vinyl chloride)

A sample of high molecular weight poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was fractionated by classical precipitation fractionation and gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) on a preparative scale. The fractions thus obtained were characterized by light scattering, viscometry, and by the GPC method. The measured weight-average molecular weights M?_w, intrinsic viscosity [η], and polydispersity index M?_w/M?_n values were used for the determination of the Mark-Houwink equation, [η] = KM^a, for PVC in cyclohexanone (CHX) at 25°C valid for molecular weights from 100,000 to 625,000.     

Use of gel-permeation chromatography in the determination of the composition of two-polymer mixtures

The possibility of evaluating with acceptable accuracy the composition of a two-polymer mixture which is well separated by GPC, was studied by using mixtures of high molecular weight polybutadiene (M?_w = 4.5 × 10⁵) and low molecular weight polyiso-butylene (M?_n in the range of 10³). It was concluded that a satisfactory evaluation of the composition of a polymer mixture can be achieved, provided that the variations of the refractive index with the molecular weight are taken into account for the low molecular weight polymer (the polyisobutylene).     

Aromatic poly(amic acids): Fundamental structural studies

Aromatic poly(amic acids) derived from pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4′,-diaminodiphenyl ether were characterized by dilute solution techniques. Number-average molecular weights M?_n of 13 samples ranged from 13,000 to 55,000 (DP 31–131). Weight-average molecular weights M?_w of 21 samples ranged from 9,900 to 266,000. The ratio M?_w/M?_n was between 2.2 and 4.8. Heterogeneous polymerization yielded higher molecular weight polymer than homogeneous polymerization. The molecular weight could be varied systematically by control of stoichiometric imbalance. Use of very pure monomers and solvent gave polymers of relatively high number-average molecular weight (～50, 000) and the most probable molecular weight distribution M?_w/M?_n = 2. Impure monomers and/or solvent resulted in lower number-average molecular weight (M?_n ? 20,000–30,000) and wider distributions (M?_w/M?_n = 3–5). The Mark-Houwink relation obtained was [η] = 1.85 × 10^?4M?_w^0.80 The exponent is characteristic of moderately extended solvated coils. The unperturbed chain dimensions (r₀² /M)^1/2 were 0.848 A., and the steric factor σ was 1.24 which is close to the limiting value of unity for an equivalent chain with free internal rotations. The sedimentation constant–molecular weight relation was S₀ = 2.70 × 10^?2M?_w^0.39. This exponent is consistent with the Mark-Houwink exponent.     

Gel-permeation chromatography: X. Molecular weight detection by low-angle laser light scattering

Effluent from a gel-permeation chromatographic column has been simultaneously and continuously monitored with a differential refractometer and a low-angle laser light-scattering (LALLS) photometer. This provides a true and direct determination of molecular weight distribution rather than through a calibration method as obtained by conventional GPC techniques. Computer assisted data reduction provides a rapid determination of M?_w, M?_n, M?_z, M?_w/M?_n, as well as a plot of molecular weight distribution. Samples of very narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) polystyrene from Pressure Chemicals Co. and relatively wide MWD samples of poly(methyl methacrylate) in chloroform have been characterized.     

Polymerization by oxidative coupling. IV.. Synthesis and properties of poly(2-methyl-6-phenylphenylene ether)

Copper-amine catalyst systems which polymerize 2-methyl-6-phenylphenol to high molecular weight polymer are described. With CuCl and N,N,N ′,N′-tetramethyl-1,3-butanediamine (TMBD), an intrinsic viscosity of 1.56 dl/g was obtained. Faster rates of polymerization resulted with a CuBr-TMBD catalyst. Catalysts from other tertiary amines and mixtures of tertiary amines also produced high polymer. Pyridine and diethylamine catalyst were less active. Samples of polymer were isolated at different stages of the polymerization. Measurements of viscosity, osmotic pressure, light scattering, gel permeation, hydroxyl groups, nitrogen content, and chemical reactivity were made on the samples. Below a molecular weight value of M?_n 60,000, M?_n/M?_w was 2.0. At higher molecular weights, there was a broadening in molecular weight distribution. No major change in the molar concentration of the “;head” endgroups with increasing molecular weight was detected by infrared analysis. However, nitrogen analyses, chemical reactivity studies, and the M?_n/M?_w ratio suggested the chemical nature of the “head” end had changed. The relationships between intrinsic viscosity in chloroform at 25°C and M?_n and M?_w for unfractionated polymer samples are log [η] = ?4.26 + 0.84 log M?_n and log [η] = ?3.86 + 0.70 log M?_w.     

Living cationic polymerization of 2-vinyloxyethyl phthalimide: Synthesis of poly(vinyl ether) with pendant primary amino functions

Cationic polymerization of 2-vinyloxyethyl phthalimide ( 1 ) in CH₂Cl₂ at ?15°C with hydrogen iodide/iodine (HI/I₂) as initiator led to living polymers of a narrow molecular weight distribution (M?_w/M?_n = 1.1–1.25). The number-average molecular weight of the polymers was in direct proportion to monomer conversion and could be controlled in the range of 1000–6000 by regulating the 1 /HI feed ratio. However, when a fresh monomer was supplied to the completely polymerized reaction mixture, the molecular weight of the polymers was not directly proportional to monomer conversion. The polymerization of 1 by boron trifluoride etherate (BF₃OEt₂) in CH₂Cl₂ at ?78°C gave polymers with relatively high molecular weight (M?_w > 20,000) and broad molecular weight distribution (M?_w/M?_n ～ 2). The HI/I₂-initiated polymerization of 1 was an order of magnitude slower than that of ethyl vinyl ether, probably because of the electron-withdrawing phthalimide pendant. Hydrazinolysis of the imide functions in poly( 1 ) gave a water-soluble poly(vinyl ether) ( 3 ) with aliphatic primary amino pendants.     

High-pressure synthesis of cyclic phenylacetylene oligomer

New conjugated oligomers were prepared by reacting phenylacetylene under high pressure of 0.11 to 0.92 GPa at 100–200°C for 0–5 h. The number-average molecular weight M?_n, the weight-average molecular weight M?_w, and the oligomer yield increased with pressure, tem-perature, and time. The average molecular weight of the oligomer showed the maximum value (M?_n: 830, M?_w: 2400) under 0.92 GPa, the maximum pressure, where phenylacetylene was oligomerized at a constant temperature. The structure of the oligomer was investigated from ESR, infrared, UV–VIS, field desorption mass (FDMS) spectra, and ¹³C NMR spec-trum. Analysis of the FDMS spectrum revealed that the molecular weight of the oligomer was multiple of the monomer. ¹³C NMR spectrum of the oligomer showed the absence of sp-carbon (? C?). We found that the oligomer had a cyclic structure. The cyclic oligomers of pentamer or more were new compounds. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

High-resolution gel-permeation chromatography

The resolution attainable in gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) was investigated by using columns packed with polystyrene gel particles of about 5 μ diameter and mixtures of two monodisperse poly-α-methylstyrene samples studied previously. The resolution of GPC was found comparable to that of the sedimentation velocity method and slightly better than that of precipitation chromatography. Standard polystyrene samples obtained from Pressure Chemical Co. also were measured with the same columns. It was found that weight-average to number-average molecular weight ratios (M?_w/M?_n) of these samples with molecular weight in the range 97,000–411,000 are smaller than 1.006. For samples with molecular weight of 10,000–51,000 and 498,000–860,000, M?_w/M?_n is larger than 1.006, and the width of molecular weight distributions of these samples differed. In particular, molecular weight distributions of samples with molecular weights 19,800 and 51,000 were shown to be bimodal. It is therefore concluded that GPC is useful for samples of very narrow molecular weight distribution if high-resolution columns are used.     

Crystallization of polystyrene–poly(ethylene oxide) multiblock copolymers

The heat of fusion of poly(ethylene oxide) blocks has been measured by DSC on twelve polystyrene–poly(ethylene oxide) multiblock (AB)_n copolymers and two ABA triblock copolymers after conditioning at various times and temperatures. Regardless of the length of polystyrene blocks, copolymers with poly(ethylene oxide) blocks with M?_n = 404 showed no heat of fusion, those with M?_n = 900 almost no peaks, those with M?_n = 1960 small broad peaks, and those with M?_n = 5650 clearly observable peaks. the greatest heat of fusion measured for block copolymers was 60–70% of the value for hompolymer. Small-angle x-ray patterns are given. The relation between crystal growth and block length is discussed.     

Dilute solution characterization of a POLA polyester

Samples of poly(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenylene 1,1,3-trimethyl-3-phenylindan-4′,5- dicarboxylate) were fractionated by the column-elution, temperature-gradient technique. Selected fractions, covering a 10-fold range of molecular weight, were shown to have narrow molecular weight distributions by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), i.e., M?_w/M?_n = 1.15 ± 0.10. The fractions were further characterized by viscometry, light scattering, and membrane osmometry. Characterization of the small samples (ca. 0.3 g) was facilitated by use of a low-volume light scattering cell. This allows measurements of refractive increment, light scattering, and viscosity to be performed on as little as 50 mg of sample. Molecular weights estimated by the GPC-viscometry technique were in good agreement with the values obtained by light scattering. Estimates of the perturbed coil dimensions (150–200 Å) were in satisfactory agreement with those observed experimentally. The polydispersities of the fractions, determined by osmometry and light scattering, were in fair agreement with GPC data; the latter are considered subject to less experimental uncertainty.     

Experimental investigation of the concept of molecular migration within sheared polystyrene

Several important aspects of the flow in polymer melts through capillaries remain unexplored. This paper examines experimentally one such effect associated with the radial shear-stress gradient in capillaries. During capillary melt flow of a polymer with a wide molecular weight distribution, migration of the large molecules away from the region of highest shear stress, i.e., at the capillary wall, has been predicted but only modestly investigated. This effect has the potential to produce a molecular weight spectrum over the cross section of extruded polymer. Studies of distribution in shear were conducted on a well-characterized wide-distribution polystyrene (M?_w = 234,000). An Instron Rheometer equipped with a long capillary (length/diameter ratio of 66.7) was used to perform the extrusion at temperatures of 160–250°C. A solvent coring procedure was used to dissolve away concentric layers of polymer from the extrudate for molecular weight analyses. The method has been shown to cut clean sections without selective extraction. Values of M?_w, M?_n and M?_w/M?_n were calculated from complete molecular weight distribution data obtained by calibrated gel permeation chromatography. For a wide range of shear rates and temperatures, no evidence for molecular fractionation was observed. Shear degradation of this polymer was found to be small. However, at high shear rates at 250°C, evidence indicating extensive shear-induced thermal degradation was found. No evidence for oxidative degradation at the extrudate surface was found at either low or high shear rates at this temperature.     

Living cationic polymerization of isobutyl propenyl ether as β-substituted vinyl ether

Isobutyl propenyl ether [IBPE; CH₃CH=CH? OCH₂CH(CH₃)₂] was polymerized with a mixture of hydrogen iodide and iodine (HI/I₂ initiator) in n-hexane at ?40°C to yield living polymers with a nearly monodisperse molecular weight distribution (MWD) (M?_w/M?_n ≈ 1.1). The number-average molecular weight (M?_n) of the polymers increased proportionally to IBPE conversion and further increased when a new monomer feed was added to a completely polymerized solution. The M?_n was controlled by the initial concentration of hydrogen iodide if the acid was charged in excess over iodine. In polymerization by iodine alone the M?_n of the polymers obtained in nonpolar solvents (n-hexane and toluene) also increased with conversion, but their MWD was broader (M?_w/M?_n = 1.3–1.4) than in the HI/I₂-initiated systems under similar conditions. The iodine-initiated polymerization in polar CH₂Cl₂ solvent, in contrast, led to nonliving polymers with a broad MWD (M?_n/M?_n = 1.6–1.8) and M?_n, independent of conversion. The living polymerization of IBPE was also compared with that of the corresponding isobutyl vinyl ether, to determine the effect of the β-methyl group in IBPE.     

Block copolymer from α,ω-dihydroxyl polystyrene and polyethylene glycol

α,ω-Dihydroxyl polystyrene was synthesized by the addition of styrene oxide to polystyryl dianion initiated with sodium naphthalene. Diglyme was found to be an unsuitable solvent for the preparation of low molecular weight compounds. Block copolymerization of the α,ω-dihydroxyl polystyrenes (M?_n = 2250, 3140, and 6200) with poly(ethylene glycols) (M?_n = 404, 1960, and 5650) was pursued by introducing urethane linkages with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate. The mechanical, thermal, and viscoelastic properties, solution viscosity, molecular weight distribution, and moisture absorption of the block copolymers obtained were examined. Incorporation of styrene blocks was found to disturb the crystallization and fusion of poly(ethylene glycol) blocks. Films cast from benzene solution were soft and elastic and absorbed up to 5.8% moisture.