This application note describes how to use gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with a viscometer to analyze polylactide (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA).
The document details the use of Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) coupled with viscometry to determine accurate molecular weight distributions for polylactide (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). It explains that while light scattering is unsuitable for these copolymers, the Universal Calibration technique using a viscometer provides reliable results independent of column standards.
The specific instrumentation used includes an Agilent PL-GPC 50 Plus integrated system equipped with differential refractive index detection and a PL-BV AQORT viscometer. The analysis was performed on PLgel 5 um MIXED-D columns under specific conditions involving tetrahydrofuran as the eluent at 40°C.
The system is designed for operation from ambient to 50 °C.
The analysis uses a flow rate of 1 mL/min.
The analysis is conducted at a temperature of 40°C.