Detailed characterization of cationic hydroxyethylcellulose derivatives using aqueous size-exclusion chromatography with on-line triple detection

A more complete understanding of polymeric, cationic cellulose derivatives, including polyquaterium-10 (Polymer JR), has become increasingly important in the eye care industry as thorough characterization of raw materials helps promote product quality and process control. Often such detailed information requires utilization of a combination of analytical techniques. In this work three Polymer JR samples with different viscosities were characterized using aqueous size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with a light scattering detector, a differential viscometer, and a differential refractometer (triple detection). Detailed molecular information such as absolute molecular weights, molecular weight distributions, intrinsic viscosities, and molecular conformations were obtained. One major challenge of analyzing cationic polymers is abnormal size exclusion separation, which could be caused by the ionic interaction between sample molecules and the column packing material. A selection of mobile phases varying in pH, buffer, organic solvent content, and molar concentration of salts was employed to evaluate the correlation of obtained molecular weight values and mobile phase composition. Universal calibration concept was used to examine the abnormal size exclusion separation phenomenon of Polymer JR samples when using different mobile phases. It was observed that the abnormal size exclusion was dependent on both the separation conditions and molecular weights of the samples. Despite the changes in separation parameters and uncharacteristic polymeric structure compared to conventional SEC samples, the use of aqueous SEC with triple detection provided reproducible and valuable molecular information of Polymer JR samples with low to medium molecular weights. By using a combination of high buffer content and adding organic solvent, the abnormal exclusion separation of high molecular weigh Polymer JR could be considerably reduced.