Depolarized Multiangle Light Scattering Coupled with Size-Exclusion Chromatography: Principles and Select Applications

The ability of polymers to depolarize incident light is important not only in end-use properties but also in the study of dilute polymer solutions. Quantitating the depolarization behavior of polymer solutions helps improve the accuracy of molar mass data derived from light scattering measurements, can provide information about changes in molecular rigidity as a function of molar mass, and can assist in the study of multicomponent mixtures. To these effects, we have coupled depolarized multi-angle light scattering (D-MALS) on-line to size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The principles of an SEC/D-MALS experiment are detailed, as are results of studies performed in our laboratory on various polymers, and of studies by other groups using batch-mode D-MALS.