Light scattering (LS) is one of the most common techniques for polymer characterization. The LS intensity and its angular dissymmetry are the two experimental results that give the polymer molecular weight (MW) and molecular size (radius-of-gyration R,) information respectively. When a multi-angle LS detector is coupled with a size exclusion chromatograph (SEC), the combined instrument has the potential of determining the absolute MW and R, distribution of polymers. In general, the existing LS instruments are expensive, bulky, and lack precision. Researchers are testing a new concept for a high . precision LS instrument that is small, simple, and inexpensive. A multi-wavelength feature is being incorporated into the fight angle laser LS (RALLS) technology. The combination of a multi-wavelength RALLS detector with SEC is a very powerful polymer characterization technique. This new approach can provide the needed accuracy and precision in the 'M'W and R. determinations for solving industrial problems that may relate to polymer size and shape changes, chain branching, copolymer composition, or, biopolymer conformational and architectural differences.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: This project would serve to introduce muiti-wavelength light scattering as an efficient molecular weight and molecular size technique for characterizing synthetic and biopolymers.
