Application of Flow Injection Polymer Analysis for the Rapid Characterization of Materials Used in the Optical Fiber Industry

While Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) is a powerful tool for the characterization of polymers, it can be time consuming which makes it less desirable for quality control purposes. We are introducing a relatively new method called Flow Injection Polymer Analysis (FIPA) for the rapid characterization of materials used in the fiber optics industry. FIPA allows polymer characterization in less than 10 minutes utilizing current instrumentation and a triple detector array. Sample analysis and data manipulation are semi-automated requiring the analyst to perform interpretation only after the data-gathering phase. In addition to productivity improvement, FIPA uses less solvent, thus, generating less hazardous waste. We determined the accuracy and precision of the method. The triple light scattering, refractive index and intrinsic viscosity, used in FIPA can provide much more information than conventional GPC analysis alone. Average molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity of the oligomer and an approximation of the polymer-solvent interaction parameter can be obtained.