Waters POLYMER ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS

Significance of the Topic

Modern polymer manufacturers face challenges from complex formulations, regulatory demands, and the need for sustainability. Advanced analytical tools are crucial to characterize polymer structure, additives, and molecular weight distributions rapidly and reliably, driving innovation in product development and quality control.

Aims and Study Overview

This work reviews Waters’ suite of polymer analysis solutions—Advanced Polymer Chromatography™ (APC), UltraPerformance Convergence Chromatography™ (UPC 2®), UltraPerformance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC®), and Mass Spectrometry (MS)—and illustrates their applications across gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) workflows. The goal is to demonstrate speed, solvent flexibility, and compositional insight for synthetic polymers and additives.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• APC combines sub-3 µm hybrid particles and low-dispersion systems for rapid, high-resolution size-exclusion separations.
• UPC 2 uses supercritical CO₂ with organic modifiers for fast, high-mass separations, compatible with polar and nonpolar polymers.
• UPLC with detectors (PDA, ELS, SQD, and HDMS) supports fast profiling of additives and polymer backbones.
• SFE with MV-10 ASFE reduces solvent use and extraction time compared to Soxhlet and microwave methods.
• Mass spectrometers (TQD, SQD, QTof, HDMS) provide structural elucidation, collision cross-section (CCS) measurements, and ion mobility separations.

Main Results and Discussion

• APC delivered five-fold faster GPC separations and improved low-molecular-weight resolution, enabling robust calibration and early detection of polymer changes.
• UPC 2 separated complex oligomers and isomeric additives in under five minutes, with MS/MS confirming structures and identifying undeclared impurities.
• UPLC-PDA-ELS-MS analyses quantified 10–25 common additives in < 3 min with low RSD, combining UV and universal detection for nonchromophoric species.
• SFE reduced extraction solvent by 80 % and time by 75 %, while UPC 2 screening profiled extractables from diverse packaging.
• HDMS measured CCS values within ±3 % using custom calibrants, and ion mobility separated random vs. block copolymers.
• MS/MS of polylactide and PMMA confirmed backbone architecture and end-group identities via fragmentation mapping.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These integrated solutions accelerate polymer characterization, minimize solvent and analysis time, and enable new insights into polymer architecture, additives, and extractables. Laboratories benefit from streamlined workflows, robust quantification, and enhanced product safety evaluations.

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Wider adoption of CCS and ion mobility for 3D structural elucidation in advanced polymers.
• Automated SFE-UPC 2-MS workflows for regulatory extractable/leachable studies.
• Expanded use of APPI and alternative ion sources for challenging polymer analytes.
• Integration with machine learning for predictive polymer property analytics.

Conclusion

Waters’ polymer analysis portfolio—APC, UPC 2, UPLC, SFE, and MS—provides a versatile, high-throughput platform for detailed polymer profiling. These technologies empower scientists to rapidly characterize molecular weight, architecture, additives, and extractables with high accuracy and minimal solvent consumption.

References

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• Norfurd DL, Fenge Q. “Strategies for Pharmaceutical Excipient Analysis.” Am Pharm Rev, 2004.
• Cabovska B, Jones MD, Aubin A. “Application of UPC 2 in Extractables Analysis.” Waters App Note 720004490EN, 2012.
• Trimpin S, Clemmer DE. “IMS-MS Snapshots for Complex Polymers.” Anal Chem, 2008.
• De Winter J, et al. “Polymer Folding Patterns Using IMS.” Chem Eur J, 2011.