ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the more common techniques that are used to characterize polymers and polymer-based materials. The average molecular weight is a fundamental characteristic of a polymer sample. The theoretical basis of light scattering from polymer solutions was first established by B. H. Zimm in the 1940s. Gel Permeation Chromatography or size exclusion chromatography is a very convenient and simple way of measuring polymer molecular weights and the distribution of these values about their mean. Vibrational spectroscopy techniques are relatively simple, nondestructive, and versatile, and they may be used to analyze films, powders, and solutions. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is a most powerful tool for the study of the microstructure and chain configuration of polymers, both in solution and in the solid state. Microscopy is a major tool for the characterization of polymer material ultrastructure. Transmission electron microscopy involves transmitting a beam of electrons instead of light through a sample in a high-vacuum environment.
