Number-average molecular mass determination of polymeric material by pyrolysis–gas chromatography

The number-average molecular mass of a polymeric material has been determined by pyrolysis–gas chromatography (Py–GC) via end-group analysis. The major advantage of this technique is that no sample preparation is required. The sample is not required to be in the dilute solution form, and the amount of sample needed is approximately 0.5 mg. Phenyl group-terminated polybutadiene systems have been studied as an example. The application of Py–GC to obtain the end-group concentration, the number-average molecular mass and the limitations of this method are discussed in detail. The success of this development elevates the role of Py–GC as an important technique for end-group analysis for the determination of number-average molecular mass.