Classification of the Methods for Molecular-Weight Determination

Knowledge of the molecular weight and of the molecular-weight distribution of a polymeric material is indispensable for scientific studies as well as for many technical applications of polymers. They effect the solution and melt viscosity, the processability, and the resulting mechanical properties tremendously. Therefore, we will give a short introduction into methods that allow us to determine the required information. Roughly, the methods developed for the determination of molecular weights are subdivided into absolute and relative methods  

Absolute methods provide the molecular weight and the degree of polymerization without any calibration. Their calculation from the experimental data requires only universal constants such as the gas constant and Avogadro s number, apart from readily determinable physical properties such as density, refractive index, etc. The most important methods in use today are mass spectrometry, osmometry, light scattering, and - to some extent - sedimentation and diffusion measurements. Also, some chemical and spectroscopic methods (determination of end-groups) are important because of their relative simplicity. 

Relative methods measure properties that depend clearly on molecular weight, for example, the hydrodynamic volume of the polymer coils (GPC, vis-cosimetry) or their solubility as a function of chain length. However, these measurements can only be evaluated with respect to the molecular weight of the mac- 

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