GPC is a size-based chromatographic technique used to characterize polymers, resins, and other macromolecules dissolved in organic solvents. Unlike adsorption or affinity chromatography, GPC separates molecules purely by their hydrodynamic volume as they pass through a column packed with porous particles.
Larger molecules that cannot enter the pores elute first, while smaller molecules that penetrate the pore network elute later. This non-interactive mechanism provides reproducible results and preserves the chemical integrity of the analytes.
GPC is the method of choice for determining molecular weight averages (Mn, Mw, Mz), polydispersity (Đ), and molecular size distributions in polymer research, production quality control, and materials development. Its compatibility with a wide range of detectors — such as refractive index (RI), UV/VIS, multi-angle light scattering (MALS), and viscometry — enables comprehensive molecular characterization.
Gel Permeation Chromatography is an indispensable tool in polymer analysis and quality assurance, providing insight into molecular size distribution, branching, and sample homogeneity.
The technique is non-destructive and applicable to a wide variety of polymers, including polystyrene, PMMA, polyolefins, polyesters, polycarbonates, and copolymers. With well-defined pore structures and stable performance in organic solvents, GPC columns offer reliable separations for both analytical and preparative workflows.
The stationary phase in GPC consists of crosslinked polystyrene–divinylbenzene (PS/DVB) particles with precisely controlled pore size distributions. These rigid, spherical polymer beads provide excellent mechanical strength, chemical stability, and long column lifetime even under demanding organic solvent conditions.
The PS/DVB network forms a stable, inert matrix that ensures a pure size exclusion mechanism without secondary interactions such as adsorption or polarity effects. By selecting appropriate pore sizes, separations can be optimized for low-molecular-weight oligomers, medium-sized engineering polymers, or high-molecular-weight elastomers.
This combination of robustness, reproducibility, and solvent compatibility makes PS/DVB-based GPC columns the standard choice for polymer characterization worldwide.
The mobile phase in GPC serves solely as a solvent medium to dissolve and transport the polymer sample through the column. It must provide complete solubility of the analyte and be chemically compatible with the PS/DVB stationary phase.
Commonly used eluents include tetrahydrofuran (THF), toluene, chloroform, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene, selected according to polymer type and detector system. The use of high-purity, degassed solvents minimizes baseline drift and ensures stable and reproducible molecular weight calibration.
The retention mechanism in Gel Permeation Chromatography is governed entirely by size exclusion. Molecules larger than the pore size are excluded and elute first, while smaller molecules enter the pores to varying degrees and elute later.
Since GPC is a purely physical separation process, the elution volume directly correlates with the hydrodynamic volume of the polymer in solution. When calibrated with suitable polymer standards, this relationship enables precise calculation of molecular weight distributions and dispersity indices.
| Name | Particle Sizes | Carbon Load | Pore Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReproGel 50 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 100 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 500 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 1.000 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 10.000 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 100.000 GPC | 5 – 10 µm | ||
| ReproGel 1.000.000 GPC | 5 µm | ||
| ReproGel GPC linear (Mixed-bed) | 5 – 10 µm |