Agilent 1260 Infinity II HT-GPC High-Temperature Size-Exclusion Chromatography System

The Agilent 1260 Infinity II HT-GPC high-temperature system is designed for the analysis of polymers that are insoluble at room temperature—primarily polyolefins, including polyethylene and polypropylene. This equipment is widely used in the petrochemical industry, research centers involved in the synthesis and modification of polymer materials, and in quality control laboratories. A key feature of this system is its ability to operate at temperatures up to 220°C. All components in contact with the sample, from the pump and autosampler to the columns and detector, are thermostatted at the operating temperature. This ensures complete dissolution of the polymer and prevents its premature precipitation before detection. Temperature stability in the thermostat is less than 0.05°C per hour, guaranteeing reproducible results even over long analysis runs. The system's isocratic pump generates pressures up to 600 bar and provides adjustable eluent flow rates from 0.1 to 10 ml/min. Flow rate reproducibility is no more than 0.07% RSD, which is particularly important for accurate calculation of molecular weight distributions. The column thermostat accommodates up to six chromatographic columns, each 30 cm long. This configuration enables the implementation of methods with high separation power across a wide range of polymer molecular weights. The autosampler is designed as a carousel for 40 2 ml vials and maintains temperatures up to 220°C. Sample dispensing is performed using a flushable fixed loop, with injection volumes ranging from 5 to 500 µl. Sample injection reproducibility is within 1% RSD. For sample preparation, the Agilent PL-SP 260VS sample preparation system is recommended. It provides efficient filtration of polymer solutions through glass fiber or steel membranes, removing undissolved gels and particles that could clog the chromatography column. The system's basic detector is a differential refractometer. It uses a deflection optical design, has a flow cell volume of 8 µL, and operates at an operating wavelength of 890 nm. The instrument can be expanded to a multidetector configuration by adding a dual-angle light scattering detector (15° and 90° angles) and a four-capillary viscometer. This configuration enables absolute molecular weight determination without calibration using standards, analysis of polymer chain branching, and calculation of macromolecular hydrodynamic parameters. System control, chromatographic data acquisition, and processing are performed using Agilent GPC/SEC software, compatible with Windows 7 and 10 (64-bit versions). The control interface is via a microprocessor controller with a connection to a personal computer. The equipment is designed for 24/7 operation in laboratory conditions at an ambient temperature of 15 to 30°C and a humidity of no more than 80%.