{{Short description|Spanish manufacturing company}} {{COI|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox company |name = Polymer Characterization, S.A. |logo = Polymer Char.gif |logo_caption = |type = Private Company |founded = {{Start year and age|1992}} |founder = B. Monrabal |hq_location_city = Valencia |hq_location_country = Spain |area_served = North America<br />South America<br />Europe<br />Africa<br />Asia |industry = Analytical Instrumentation for Polymer characterization |products = Gel permeation chromatography / Size Exclusion Chromatography<br />Chemical composition Distribution<br />Xylene Solubles<br />Bivariate distribution<br />Preparative Fractionation<br />Infrared Detectors |services = Analytical Services<br />Laboratory Consulting |website = {{url|polymerchar.com}} }}{{Expand section|date=March 2020}} '''Polymer Char''' is a company which designs and manufactures instrumentation for polymer analysis.
== History == Polymer Char was founded by 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 Crystallization Analysis Fractionation (CRYSTAF) instrument based on technology developed by Monrabal at Dow Chemical Company laboratories in the Netherlands to measure chemical composition distribution in semicrystalline polymers.
A CRYSTAF prototype was presented at Pittcon in 1994. The first product was acquired in 1995 by a petrochemical company in South Korea.
The company has also developed techniques and instruments for polymer characterization, and more specifically, for polyolefin (polyethylene and polypropylene) characterization.
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.<ref name=momoelf1>{{cite web|url=https://www.polymerchar.com|title=Corporate Communications|publisher=Polymer Char}}</ref>
== Analytical instrumentation ==
The company develops analytical instruments for polymer analysis.
;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:
*Crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF): instrument intended for the fast measurement of the chemical composition distribution (CCD) in polyolefins (crystallization analysis fractionation).<ref name=momoelf2>B. Monrabal; TREF and CRYSTAF technologies for Polymer Characterization. Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry (Publisher: John Wiley & Sons: 2000 Issue, Pages 8074 – 8094.</ref> *Temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF): for the characterization of CCD in polyolefins.<ref name=momoelf3>B. Monrabal; Microstructure Characterization of Polyolefins. TREF and CRYSTAF: Progress in Olefin Polymerization Catalysts and Polyolefin Materials, Proceedings of the First Asian Polyolefin Workshop. Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis: Volume 161, 2006, Pages 35-42.</ref> * Crystallization elution fractionation (CEF): high-throughput chemical composition distribution analyzer by CEF * TGIC: technique for the analysis of low crystallinity polyolefins implemented by a fully automated instrument.
*GPC-IR: high temperature gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for polyolefin molar mass distribution. It works with concentration and composition detectors (infrared), viscometer and light scattering.<ref name=momoelf4>B. Monrabal, W. W. Yau; Engineering Advances in GPC Instrumentation. The Column, LCGC: Volume 7, Issue 7, 2011. Pages 8-15.</ref><ref name=momoelf5>{{cite web|url=http://www.selectscience.net/product-news/polymer-char/eliminate-solvent-handling-from-polyolefin-analysis/?artID=20624&u=D3DB498E-3AD4-4B62-BF90-46E16A93B3A8|title=Eliminate Solvent Handling from Polyolefin Analysis|publisher=Select Science, Published: November 2010 }}</ref> *GPC One: GPC calculations software.<ref name=momoelf6>{{cite web|url=http://www.plasticsengineering.org/polymeric/product_focus?|title=Software for Polyolefin GPC Applications from Polymer Char|publisher=Plastics Engineering, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Published: December 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727175842/http://www.plasticsengineering.org/polymeric/product_focus|archivedate=2011-07-27}}</ref> *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.
*IVA: automated instrument for intrinsic viscosity analysis of polymers with dissolution temperature up to 200 °C.
*Cross-fractionation chromatography(CFC) instrument to analyze the polyolefin bivariate distribution by TREF and gel permeation chromatography.<ref name=momoelf8>{{cite web|url=http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/Industry%3A+General/Polyolefins-Microstructure-Characterization-by-Aut/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/697743|title=Polyolefins Microstructure Characterization by Automated Cross-Fractionation Chromatography (CFC)|publisher=LCGC North America App. Book, Published: October 2, 2010|access-date=December 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711003056/http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/Industry:+General/Polyolefins-Microstructure-Characterization-by-Aut/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/697743|archive-date=July 11, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> *SGIC 2D: 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 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.<ref name=momoelf7>{{cite web|url=http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/App+Notes+General/CRYSTEX-Automated-Xylene-Solubles-in-PP-with-Visco/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/319704|title=CRYSTEX: Automated Xylene Solubles in PP with Viscometer and Composition Detectors|publisher=LCGC - Chromatography Online, Published: March 2, 2006|access-date=December 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711003045/http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/App+Notes+General/CRYSTEX-Automated-Xylene-Solubles-in-PP-with-Visco/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/319704|archive-date=July 11, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> *CRYSTEX QC: fully automated instrument for amorphous phase determination in PP/EP manufacturing QC laboratories. *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.
*IR4: Infrared detector for composition and concentration measurements in polyolefins for gel permeation chromatography (GPC/SEC), HPLC, TREF, etc.<ref name=momoelf9>{{cite web|url=http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/High-Temperature-GPC-Analysis-of-Polyolefins-with-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/645112|title=High Temperature GPC Analysis of Polyolefins with Infrared Detection|publisher=LCGC Europe Applications Book, Published: October 2, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120707203023/http://chromatographyonline.findanalytichem.com/lcgc/High-Temperature-GPC-Analysis-of-Polyolefins-with-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/645112|archivedate=July 7, 2012}}</ref> *IR5: an infrared detector for highly demanding applications in Polymer Char instruments such as 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.<ref name="momoelf1"/>
== See also ==
*Polymer characterization *Polyolefin *Gel permeation chromatography / Size Exclusion Chromatography *Polymer science *Polymer Chemistry *Chromatography
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.polymerchar.com Polymer Char Official Website]
Category:Technology companies of Spain Category:Electronic test equipment manufacturers Category:Instrument-making corporations Category:Laboratory equipment manufacturers Category:Research support companies Category:Companies based in Valencia Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1992 Category:Technology companies established in 1992 Category:1992 establishments in Spain