Advances in Next-Generation Polyolefin Standard Reference Materials

Published

May 17, 2017

Author(s)

Sara V. Orski, Wesley S. Farrell, Andre M. Striegel, Kathryn L. Beers

Abstract

NIST’s approach to modernizing its synthetic polymer reference materials is to target precise and robust synthetic methods, making homogeneous standards than can be easily tailored to include desired chemistry, molar mass, and topography. This strategy aims to meet the increasing demand for novel standards that are relevant to advanced materials and with minimial development time. Here, an alternative approach to synthetic linear and branched polyethylenes has been developed using a commercial metathesis catalyst to generate polyolefins with low polydispersity and sequence control, where the degree of alkyl branching and alkyl branching distribution are known. This process is adaptable to many branch lengths and varied chemistries as it only requires replacement of the monomer feedstock with the desired chemical functionality. The resulting materials are characterized using size-exclusion chromatography with tetra detection to measure the molar mass, molar mass distribution, and degree of short chain branching. In addition to their role as potential standard reference materials (SRMs), these polymers are also being applied to study the effect of branching on polymer chain thermodynamics at surfaces, and comparing experimental results to established theoretical models

Proceedings Title

2017 TechConnect World Innovation Conference - Materials for Oil & Gas

Volume

2

Conference Dates

May 15-17, 2017

Conference Location

Oxon Hill, MD

Conference Title

2017 TechConnect World Innovation Conference

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

polyolefins, standards, short-chain branching, molar mass, surfaces

Citation

Orski, S. , Farrell, W. , Striegel, A. and Beers, K. (2017), Advances in Next-Generation Polyolefin Standard Reference Materials, 2017 TechConnect World Innovation Conference - Materials for Oil & Gas, Oxon Hill, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=923118 (Accessed April 30, 2026)

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