PolyIC is an open access online collaborative platform to further the development and implementation of polymer separation and characterization with polymer interaction chromatography (PIC) by the broad polymer community.
Polymer Interaction Chromatography (PIC) is an umbrella term for polymer liquid chromatography methods — including liquid chromatography at the critical condition (LCCC), solvent-gradient interaction chromatography (SGIC), and temperature-gradient interaction chromatography (TGIC) etc. — in which polymer retention is governed by a balance of polymer–stationary phase interactions (enthalpic effects) and pore accessibility or exclusion (entropic effects).
PIC enables separation and characterization of polymer samples based on features that are difficult to resolve using purely size-based techniques such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC) or size exclusion chromatography (SEC). These include chemical composition distributions (CCD), end-group distributions (EGD), and block lengths in block copolymers. PIC is also particularly powerful for detecting impurities, such as unreacted macroinitiators and other synthesis byproducts.
PIC makes use of controlled interaction between polymers and column stationary phase, modulated by the mobile phase solvents and temperature tuned near the Critical Adsorption Point of Polymers on column surface (i.e., the Critical Condition). Finding a suitable mobile phase and designing a gradient to achieve optimal separation is challenging. Interpreting the obtained chromatography can also be challenging.