Polystyrene is a polymer widely used in the production of cabinets, housings, furniture, packing boxes, and food packaging material. It has a high molecular weight and can be used as homo- and co-polymers, thermoplastic elastomers, and foamed polystyrene (EPS). Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) is used to evaluate the molecular weight of each batch of produced polymer to ensure the highest quality.
This document details an analytical application for characterizing polystyrene using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). It covers sample preparation methods involving granulate, chips, and injection-molded chips, utilizing a specific column configuration with THF mobile phase. The text outlines the equipment setup required for the analysis.
The flow rate for the mobile phase is set to 1 ml/min.
The oven temperature must be kept at 20 °C.
The injection volume should be 10 ul.