Universal calibration in GPC: A study of polystyrene, poly‐α‐methylstyrene, and polypropylene

Abstract

The theoretical justification for using M[_η], or a similar quantity, as a universal calibration parameter in GPC is reviewed. The equation based on this parameter is applied to transform the primary calibration curve, obtained by means of polystyrene samples, into calibration curves for poly‐α‐methylstyrene, polypropylene, and linear polyethylene. The Mark–Houwink equations for these polymers, as they are used in the transformation, are discussed. The resulting GPC calibration curves are compared with molecular weights and peak elution volumes of fractionated poly‐α‐methylstyrene and polypropylene. The same comparison is made with samples of polypropylene and polyethylene having very broad molecular weight distributions. The agreement lies within experimental error.