Light Scattering

This book serves as a complete compendium of three important methods widely used for the characterization of synthetic and natural polymers--light scattering, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (A4F). Featuring numerous up-to-date examples of experimental results obtained by light scattering, SEC, and A4F measurements, Light Scattering, Size Exclusion Chromatography and Asymmetric Flow Field Flow Fractionation takes an all-in-one approach to deliver a complete and thorough explanation of the principles, theories, and instrumentation needed to characterize polymers from the viewpoint of their molar mass distribution, size, branching, and aggregation. This comprehensive resource:

• Is the only book gathering light scattering, size exclusion chromatography, and asymmetric flow field flow fractionation into a single text

• Systematically compares results of size exclusion chromatography with results of asymmetric flow field flow fractionation, and how these two methods complement each other

• Provides in-depth guidelines for reproducible and correct determination of molar mass and molecular size of polymers using SEC or A4F coupled with a multi-angle light scattering detector

• Offers a detailed overview of the methodology, detection, and characterization of polymer branching

Light Scattering, Size Exclusion Chromatography and Asymmetric Flow Field Flow Fractionation should be of great interest to all those engaged in the polymer analysis and characterization in industrial and university research, as well as in manufacturing quality control laboratories. Both beginners and experienced can confidently rely on this volume to confirm their own understanding or to help interpret their results.

Stepan Podzimek, an author or coauthor of forty scientific papers, works as a head of the Department of Analytical and Physical Chemistry at SYNPO, a Czech R&D company, and as a professor at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Macromolecular Materials at the University of Pardubice. He has been working in the field of polymer analysis and characterization for twenty-five years. His research interests include characterization of molecular and chemical structure of synthetic and natural polymers using size exclusion chromatography, liquid chromatography, asymmetric flow field flow fractionation, light scattering, viscometry, mass spectroscopy, and study of structure-property relationships. In particular, he has focused on the characterization of branched polymers.