Separation of copolymers using high-performance liquid chromatography with polymeric stationary phase and liquefied carbon dioxide as adsorption promoting solvent.

Chromatographic separation of copolymers depending on the chemical composition was studied by a solvent gradient method using liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) as an adsorption promoting solvent. As the high polar stationary phase, non-bonded silica gel, crosslinked acrylamide (AA) gel and crosslinked acrylonitrile (AN) gel were utilized. All columns showed the typical normal phase type of adsorption. Polymeric stationary phases showed the higher sample recovery for styrene-methyl methacrylate (St-MMAs) copolymers, indicating suitability for quantitative analyses. The separations of butyl methacrylate (BMA)-methyl methacrylate, and 2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutyl methacrylate (FBMA)-methy methacrylate copolymers were also carried out, and the latter copolymers were separated based on the CO2-philicity with acrylonitrile column.