Principle of two-dimensional characterization of copolymers.

Two-dimensional polymer characterization is used for a simultaneous analysis of molar masses and chemical heterogeneities (e.g., end groups, copolymer composition, etc.). This principle is based on coupling of two different chromatographic modes. Liquid adsorption chromatography at critical conditions (LACCC) is applied for a separation according to the chemical heterogeneity, whereas in the second-dimension fractions are analyzed with regard to their molar mass distribution by means of size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Because appropriate standards for a calibration of the SEC are seldom available, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was used to substitute the SEC. The LACCC-MALDI MS coupling enables acquiring additional structural information on copolymer composition, which can considerably enhance the performance of this coupled method.