Molecular Correlative Material Characterization Advantages for Polymer Analysis Using Liquid Chromatography

Polymeric materials are an indispensable part of modern society.The functionality of polymers correlates heavily with their interrelating molecular features. There is a strong innovation focus on sustainability of functional polymers, which further increases the complexity of their molecular structure. Consequently, a thorough understanding of the relation between molecular structure, including their interrelating distributions and their final properties, is a crucial aspect in polymer research and innovation. A well-developed analytical toolbox of high-end methodologies and technologies is needed to elucidate the molecular structures of polymers and their distributions.The analysis of the structures and various distributions of these complex copolymers is referred to as molecular correlative material characterization. Liquid chromatography (LC) is an important technology to help determine the molecular structure and the distribution of polymers. Recent developments in LC in the areas of sample preparation, mono-distribution separations, and their hyphenation into fully orthogonal and optimized two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) separations have unlocked the ability to conduct molecular correlative material characterization.This article will discuss these recent developments and the ongoing research towards the coupling of different information sources with respect to chemical structure distributions of complex copolymers.