Polymer Char

Polymer Char is a technology-based company which designs and manufactures instrumentation for Polymer Analysis.

History

Polymer Char was founded by Dr. B. Monrabal in 1992 in the Valencia Technology Park, in Spain, being registered with the name of Polymer Characterization, S.A.

Its initial goal was to develop a commercial CRYSTAF instrument. CRYSTAF –Crystallization Analysis Fractionation- was a new patented technology developed by Dr. Monrabal at The Dow Chemical Company laboratories in the Netherlands to measure the Chemical composition Distribution in semicrystalline polymers.

The first CRYSTAF prototype, CRYSTAF 100, was presented in Pittcon (The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical chemistry and Applied spectroscopy) in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, being acquired the first unit in 1995 by a Petrochemical company in South Korea.

Consolidated the performance of the CRYSTAF instrument, the company continued developing new techniques and instruments for Polymer characterization, and more specifically, for Polyolefin (Polyethylene and Polypropylene) Characterization (materials science).

Today, Polymer Char's technology is present in the Petrochemical and Research and development industries in over 20 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.^[1]

Analytical Instrumentation

The company develops analytical instruments for Polymer analysis and more specifically, for Structural Characterization of Polyolefins:

Chemical composition Distribution:

Chemical Composition Distribution (CCD) together with the Molar Mass Distribution (MMD) and their interdependence define the microstructure of a Polyolefin. CCD is often the most discriminating feature of a complex Polyolefin. Some instruments in Polymer Char’s range are available for this purpose:

CRYSTAF: instrument intended for the fast measurement of the Chemical composition Distribution (CCD) in Polyolefins (Crystallization Analysis Fractionation).^[2]

TREF: performs the TREF technique (Temperature Rising Elution Fractionation) for the characterization of CCD in Polyolefins.^[3]

CEF: High-throughput Chemical composition Distribution analyzer by CEF (Crystallization Elution Fractionation).

TGIC: Innovative technique for the analysis of low crystallinity polyolefins implemented by a fully automated instrument.

GPC - Molar Mass Distribution:

GPC-IR: High Temperature Chromatography for the Polyolefin Molar mass distribution. It works with Concentration and Composition Detectors (Infrared), Viscometer and Light scattering.^[4][5]

GPC One: GPC Calculations Software.^[6]

Data Unit 200: Signals Device for Gel permeation chromatography instruments.

GPC-QC: Simplified and fully automated GPC instrument aimed at control laboratories in polyolefin production plants.

Intrinsic viscosity:

IVA: Reliable and automated instrument for Intrinsic Viscosity Analysis of polymers with dissolution temperature up to 200 °C.

Bivariate distribution:'

CFC: Cross-fractionation Chromatography (CFC) instrument to analyze the Polyolefin Bivariate distribution by TREF and Gel permeation chromatography.^[7]

SGIC 2D: Comprehensive 3D results with the advantages of using an IR detector for this new tool aimed at polyolefin characterization.

Preparative Fractionation:

PREP mc2: Preparative instrument to fractionate polymers by Molar Mass or Composition (TREF or CRYSTAF).

PREP C20:A new column-based preparative fractionation instrument, capable to fractionate up to 20 grams of polymer.

Soluble Fraction:

CRYSTEX: instrument intended to measure the amorphous fraction of Polypropylene and ethylene-propylene copolymers, for Quality Control laboratories for Polypropylene manufacturing plants.^[8]

CRYSTEX QC: Reliable and fully automated instrument for amorphous phase determination in PP/EP Manufacturing QC laboratories.

CRYSTEX 42: CRYSTEX® 42: high-throughput system for simultaneous measurement of the soluble fraction, ethylene content and intrinsic viscosity in a fully automated process for up to 42 samples.

Infrared Detectors:

IR4: Infrared detector for Composition and Concentration measurements in Polyolefins for Gel permeation chromatography (GPC/SEC), HPLC, TREF, etc.^[9]

IR5: infrared detector A very sensitive integrated infrared detector for highly demanding applications in Polymer Char instruments such us GPC-IR, HPLC, CFC and other separation techniques.

Part of the techniques and instruments were developed with Petrochemical companies and Research Institutes from United States, Belgium, Finland, Germany and Japan. The company supplies in over 35 countries around the globe Analytical Services for Polymer characterization.^[1]

Innovation Awards

2010: New and Notable Molecular Spectroscopy Instruments at Pittcon 2010 (The 61st Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical chemistry and Applied spectroscopy).^[10]
GPC-IR instrument recognition in 5th position.
By Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), American Chemical Society (ACS).

2009: 50 Successful Companies in Innovation.
Government Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Valencian Community and the Official Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

2005: Autosampler CRYSTAF.
Presented to Polymer Char in Appreciation of its Contributions in developing High-throughput Characterization Technology for DOW Plastics R&D. By The Dow Chemical Company.

2005: Technology Award.
Polytechnic University of Valencia.

2004: Technology Award.
Polytechnic University of Valencia.

2002: Technology Award.
Polytechnic University of Valencia.

1996: Award to Industry.
Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Valencia.

See also

• Polymer characterization
• Polyolefin
• Gel permeation chromatography / Size Exclusion Chromatography
• Polymer science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Chromatography

References

External links

• Polymer Char Official Website