This document introduces the application of the Varian Evaporative Light Scattering Detector in the GPC analysis of polymer blends (and block copolymers).
The document presents an advantage statement for the Varian Evaporative Light Scattering (ELSD) detector. It demonstrates how ELSD overcomes limitations of Refractive Index (RI) detection when analyzing polymer blends where dn/de values may be positive, negative, or isorefractive. The text details a model blend analysis using Polystyrene and Polydimethylsiloxane.
The detector always delivers a positive response for all solutes and permits quantification of polymer blends, as well as delivering significantly increased sensitivity.
The nebulizer temperature was set to 40°C or 100°C, while the evaporator temperature was set to 90°C or 120°C.
The flow rate used for both THF and toluene was 1.0 mL/min.