Topology and Thermophoresis Characterization of Complex Polymers by Thermal Field-Flow Fractionation

This dissertation deals with the potential of thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) for the multidetection-based analysis of polymers with complex topology to prove its capability in resolving polymer branching characteristics from measured thermophoretic properties. For that, not yet existent but necessary profound advances in the theory of ThFFF and as well, thermophoresis of branched polymers were generated to allow a full exploitation of the method in the elucidation of polymer topology. Exemplary, two different libraries of branched polymer model systems based on aliphatic-aromatic polyesters and on a new type of short chain branched polyethylene were investigated. On top, the potential of the optimized ThFFF theory was assessed in the context of crosslinked polymer architectures and shines light onto the so far controversially debated topic of electron beam irradiation effects on thermoplastic polyurethane