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Chemical Composition Analysis by TGIC

Overview

High-Temperature HPLC has become recently available for the analysis of polyolefins, a field where it is better known under the name of Interaction Chromatography. It was first used in Solvent Gradient Interaction Chromatography mode (SGIC) and it is today extended with the use of a thermal gradient instead, also known as Thermal Gradient Interaction Chromatography (TGIC).

The TGIC technique using carbon-based adsorbents was developed by The Dow Chemical Company to characterize the composition distribution in polyethylene copolymers. This technique requires a cooling (adsorption) and a heating (desorption) step. Elution of the sample takes place in that last heating step, observing a linear dependence of comonomer content to desorption temperatures in a similar manner to TREF and CEF, and being molar mass-independent above 20,000 Da. TGIC will adsorb polymer molecules by the level of molecular surface in contact with the surface of the adsorbent, thus it may discriminate polymers by the level of irregularities in the chain, in a similar approach to crystallization techniques. TGIC, however, separates by adsorption and no co-elution is expected.

Resolution in TGIC is lower than in crystallization techniques but it has the possibility to extend the range of polymers to be analyzed towards the amorphous region which is limited by crystallization techniques. Then, the analyses of elastomers and other amorphous polyolefins are the main application of TGIC. TGIC is performed with a single solvent, typically o-DCB or 1, 2, 4 TCB in a Crystallization Elution Fractionation instrument (CEF) with the standard autosampler, injection system and an infrared detector, only requiring to replace the TREF column by a TGIC column.

Additional Detectors

These detectors are used in our TGIC analyses:

IR4

IR4

The standard detector used on this analysis is a dual-wavelength infrared detector, which uses the principle of infrared absorption spectroscopy to measure the concentration and composition in polyolefins.

Composition by IR5

Composition by IR5

When analyzing HDPE pipe resins, high sensitivity is required to be capable of measuring the low number of branches accurately. IR5 MCT detector was designed for this specific purpose and it is very powerful when characterizing that kind of resins.

IR6

IR6

The IR6 Detector is the latest IR Detector developed by Polymer Char with same capabilities and features than IR5 detector and the additional capability of measuring carbonyls group in the band of 1740 cm-1. IR6 Detector is recommended for users willing to analyze polyolefin type EVA, EBA, and others with carbonyls group present in IR band above.

Viscometer

Viscometer

By connecting a capillary Viscometer to a TGIC when analyzing polyolefins, the bulk Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) can be determined. The IV is provided as a function of Molar Mass (MM), and then the Universal Calibration (UC) is applied, for samples with different molecular structures.

TGIC Analytical Services Fees

TGIC (Price/Sample)1-5 samples6-10 samples>10 samples
Standard (20-2-0.5)632€525€482€
Additional Detectors:
Chemical Composition (IR5)216€181€181€
Intrinsic Viscosity216€181€181€
Molar Mass by Light Scattering475€399€399€
Calibration for Chemical Composition229€ (only for the first sample)
Calibration for Intrinsic Viscosity134€ (only for the first sample)
Calibration for Molar Mass134€ (only for the first sample)
Additional Services:
Subambient322€322€322€
Sample Filtration (carbon black)219€219€219€
Standard Data Re-processing109€109€109€
Patent Interpretation300€
Minimum sample amount>1 g

Terms & Conditions

Analytical Services Frequently Asked Questions


The fractionation service is available thanks to the Instruments PREP mc2 and PREP C20, capable of fractionating samples by molecular weight or by composition (TREF or CRYSTAF). Please visit the link Preparative Fractionation for more information.

The resulting fractions are later analyzed by the corresponding technique (GPC or TREF/CRYSTAF) to check the good performance of the fractionation process. Finally, the physical fractions are sent back to the customer by courier service as well as the analysis results of the fractions, so the customer can check the separation.

For most of our analyses, you will receive a summary of the results along with an Excel file. However, the type of data and report form depends on the analytical service made. For specifics about the information sent, contact analyticalservices@polymerchar.com.

Please send an email to analyticalservices@polymerchar.com and we will be pleased to help you.

To order any analytical service, please fill in the Analytical Service Request Form. Provide all the information available about the samples to be analyzed. Sent forms will be processed as formal orders for Polymer Char records. All the information provided is considered confidential information.

If a previous quotation is required, please do not hesitate to let us know by sending an email to analyticalservices@polymerchar.com

Samples should be shipped to:

Polymer Characterization S.A.
Valencia Technology Park
Gustave Eiffel 8
Paterna, Valencia
E-46980, Spain
Attn.: Analytical Services Department

We highly recommend to use courier service instead of post mail to ensure your samples arrive in good condition.

You will receive the results in less than a week. If you plan to send more than 10 samples, please check with our lab, as the response time may be longer in this case.
This time is approximate, and it depends on the service queue in the laboratory at the time of the order. Polymer Char will inform the customer if the turnaround time is expected to be longer.

Please refer to our Analytical Services Terms and in the first chapter, you will find the necessary amount for each technique.

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This Privacy Policy affects as well to the Customers’ Samples’ Analysis’ results. If a Privacy Agreement is required by the Customer, please contact us.

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