Rapid characterization of polymers with heated injection probe

摘要

A method for characterising a polymer sample, the method comprising withdrawing a sample from a sample container into an injection probe of an auto-sampler, the injection probe being heated to maintain the withdrawn sample at a temperature of not less than about 75 DEG C while resident in the injection probe, the heated injection probe residing in a first environment maintained at about ambient temperature while withdrawing the polymer sample, loading at least a portion of the withdrawn sample into an injection port or a loading port of a liquid chromatography system or a flow injection analysis system, the injection port or loading port being adaptable for fluid communication with a chromatographic column or a flow injection analysis system, the chromatographic column residing in a heated second environment maintained at a temperature of not less than about 75 DEG C, injecting the loaded 5 ample into a mobile phase of the liquid chromatography system or a flow injection analysis system chromatographically separating the injected sample, as in the case of using liquid chromatography, detecting a property of the sample or of a component thereof and, maintaining the sample at a temperature of not less than about 75 DEG C during a period of time including from when the sample is withdrawn from the sample container to when the sample is within the heated second environment or when the property of the sample or of a component thereof is detected. <IMAGE>