Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The aim of this proposal is to acquire a High-Temperature Gel Permeation Chromatograph (HT-GPC) necessary to analyze the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polymers which are insoluble in any solvent at room temperature. The knowledge of the MWD is essential for all scientists working in the domain of polymer science and engineering, as this parameter is intimately linked to mechanical, rheological, process-related, optical and durability of the polymer. Determination of the MWD is usually performed in GPCs, operating at room temperature or slightly above. However, many polymers, such as the ones impacted by this proposal, are only soluble at high temperature (above 140 oC), necessitating a specific chromatographic unit which can operate under such conditions. The instrument we request will be used by the numerous researchers working on polymer-related domains at the Université de Sherbrooke (UdS), and will be located in the department of chemistry of UdS. In particular, it will be indispensable for the analysis of polyolefins prepared/processed in the group Claverie, Soldera and Huneault, polyacrylamides prepared in the group Zhao, polyesters processed in the group Elkoun, and complex macromolecular architectures prepared in the group Harvey. No such instrument is currently present at UdS. With the recent arrival of the PI at UdS, acquisition of this instrument becomes ineluctable, as functional instruments able to withstand the volume of analysis required to support the research of the coPIs are not available in Canada. The urgency of the acquisition is reinforced by the fact that out of the two existing vendors, one will discontinue the HT-GPC line next year, putting the other one in a situation of monopoly. Beyond its significant impact on the research programs shown below, the instruments will be pivotal for the training efforts of HQPs associated to polymer science. As the instrument will be placed in an accessible facility, staffed with specifically trained personnel, we envision that a minimum of 80 HQPs will be using this HT-GPC.