Polymer Char

Polymer Char is a Spanish company that designs and manufactures analytical instruments for polymer characterization, with particular expertise in polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene. The company was founded in 1992 by B. Monrabal at the Valencia Technology Park and was initially registered as Polymer Characterization, S.A. Its original commercial objective was to turn crystallization analysis fractionation technology into a practical instrument for measuring the chemical composition distribution of semicrystalline polymers. The underlying technology had been developed by Monrabal while working in Dow Chemical Company laboratories in the Netherlands. A prototype of the company’s first CRYSTAF instrument was presented at Pittcon in 1994. In 1995, the first production instrument was acquired by a petrochemical company in South Korea, establishing an early international foothold for the business. Polymer Char subsequently broadened its portfolio from crystallization analysis into several connected areas of polymer science, including molar-mass distribution, intrinsic-viscosity measurement, soluble-fraction analysis, infrared detection, preparative fractionation, and multidimensional or bivariate characterization. The company’s instruments are aimed at laboratories that need to understand the structure and performance of polymers. In polyolefin analysis, chemical composition distribution, molar-mass distribution, and the relationship between the two are important indicators of a material’s microstructure and behavior. Polymer Char’s product range addresses these measurements through techniques including CRYSTAF, temperature rising elution fractionation, crystallization elution fractionation, thermal-gradient interaction chromatography, high-temperature gel permeation chromatography, and cross-fractionation chromatography. Its portfolio includes both research-oriented systems and more automated instruments designed for production quality control. Examples include GPC-IR systems for high-temperature molar-mass analysis, GPC-QC for simplified automated testing in polyolefin plants, CRYSTEX systems for soluble-fraction and polypropylene analysis, IVA instruments for intrinsic-viscosity measurement, and IR detectors for composition and concentration measurements across chromatographic applications. The company also offers software and signal-management products associated with gel permeation chromatography, as well as preparative systems for separating polymer fractions by composition or molar mass. Polymer Char’s work has involved collaboration or development activity with petrochemical companies and research institutes in the United States, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Japan. Its technology has been used by petrochemical and research-and-development organizations in more than 20 countries, while the company’s analytical services for polymer characterization have been supplied in more than 35 countries. This gives Polymer Char an international specialist position rather than the profile of a mass-market consumer brand. Its competitive identity is based on technical depth, automation, application-specific instrumentation, and expertise in difficult polymer measurements, especially those relevant to polyolefin production and research.

Polymer Char was established in 1992 at the Valencia Technology Park in Spain by B. Monrabal, under the registered name Polymer Characterization, S.A. The company was created to commercialize an instrument based on crystallization analysis fractionation, or CRYSTAF. This technique was intended to measure the chemical composition distribution of semicrystalline polymers, a property that is particularly important in the analysis of polyolefins. The technology originated from work carried out by Monrabal at Dow Chemical Company laboratories in the Netherlands. The first important public development came in 1994, when Polymer Char presented a CRYSTAF prototype at Pittcon. The presentation demonstrated the company’s effort to transform a specialized analytical method into a usable commercial platform. In 1995, the first product was purchased by a petrochemical company in South Korea. That early sale helped establish Polymer Char as an international supplier rather than a company focused only on the Spanish market. Following its initial CRYSTAF work, Polymer Char expanded into a wider set of analytical techniques for polymer characterization. The company developed systems for temperature rising elution fractionation and crystallization elution fractionation, both used to study chemical composition distribution. It also introduced technology for low-crystallinity polyolefins through TGIC and developed high-temperature gel permeation chromatography systems for measuring molar-mass distribution. These GPC-IR systems can combine concentration and composition measurements with viscometry and light scattering. The portfolio later broadened to include software and supporting equipment, such as GPC One calculation software and the Data Unit 200 signal device. For manufacturing quality-control environments, Polymer Char developed simplified or automated platforms including GPC-QC. Its instruments for intrinsic-viscosity testing, such as IVA, address another important polymer property and can operate with dissolution temperatures reaching 200 degrees Celsius. Polymer Char also worked on multidimensional characterization. Cross-fractionation chromatography combines fractionation by temperature rising elution with gel permeation chromatography to examine bivariate relationships between composition and molar mass. The SGIC 2D system extends this type of analysis with infrared detection and three-dimensional results. The company’s preparative systems, including PREP mc2 and PREP C20, are designed to separate and collect polymer fractions by composition or molar mass. Another major area has been soluble-fraction analysis for polypropylene and ethylene-propylene copolymers. The CRYSTEX family was developed for measuring amorphous material and related properties, with versions aimed at manufacturing quality-control laboratories and higher-throughput workflows. CRYSTEX 42 can process up to 42 samples in an automated sequence while measuring soluble fraction, ethylene content, and intrinsic viscosity. Polymer Char has also developed infrared detectors for use with its own and related separation techniques. IR4 supports composition and concentration measurements in applications including gel permeation chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and temperature-based fractionation. IR5 is intended for more demanding applications such as GPC-IR, HPLC, and cross-fractionation chromatography. The company’s technology has been developed in cooperation with petrochemical companies and research institutions in several countries, including the United States, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Japan. Over time, Polymer Char’s instruments and analytical expertise became established across petrochemical and research-and-development markets in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The company also supplies polymer-characterization analytical services internationally, giving it a role both as an equipment manufacturer and as a specialist testing provider.

• 1995

  First instrument sold internationally

  [1]Polymer Charen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s first commercial product was acquired by a petrochemical company in South Korea.

• 1994

  CRYSTAF prototype presented

  [1]Polymer Charen.wikipedia.org

  Polymer Char presented a prototype crystallization analysis fractionation instrument at Pittcon.

• 1992

  Company founded in Valencia

  [1]Polymer Charen.wikipedia.org

  B. Monrabal founded Polymer Char at the Valencia Technology Park in Spain, initially registering the business as Polymer Characterization, S.A.

A specialist provider of analytical instrumentation and services for polymer science, with particular emphasis on automated and high-temperature characterization of polyolefins.

• Chemical composition distribution analyzer

  CRYSTAF

  CRYSTAF is a crystallization analysis fractionation system designed to measure the chemical composition distribution of polyolefins. It addresses the composition differences that influence the microstructure and performance of semicrystalline polymers and represents the technology at the center of Polymer Char’s original commercial offering.

• Chemical composition distribution analyzer

  CEF

  CEF, or crystallization elution fractionation, is a high-throughput approach to chemical composition distribution analysis. It is intended for polymer laboratories that need to characterize polyolefin composition efficiently and reproducibly.

• High-temperature gel permeation chromatography

  GPC-IR

  GPC-IR systems measure molar-mass distribution in polyolefins using high-temperature gel permeation chromatography. The platform can combine concentration and composition detection with viscometry and light scattering, enabling a more detailed view of polymer molecular structure.

• Quality-control chromatography instrument

  GPC-QC

  GPC-QC is a simplified, automated gel permeation chromatography system intended for control laboratories at polyolefin production plants. Its positioning emphasizes routine testing and operational accessibility rather than only advanced research applications.

• Soluble-fraction analyzer

  CRYSTEX

  CRYSTEX instruments measure the amorphous or soluble fraction of polypropylene and ethylene-propylene copolymers. The systems are designed for polymer-production laboratories and support quality-control analysis of materials whose properties depend on crystalline and non-crystalline phases.

• Automated quality-control analyzer

  CRYSTEX QC

  CRYSTEX QC is an automated version of the soluble-fraction analysis concept for polypropylene and ethylene-propylene manufacturing quality-control laboratories. It is intended to standardize routine phase-composition measurements.

• High-throughput polymer analyzer

  CRYSTEX 42

  CRYSTEX 42 is a high-throughput automated system capable of processing up to 42 samples. It combines measurement of soluble fraction, ethylene content, and intrinsic viscosity in an integrated workflow for polymer laboratories.

• Bivariate distribution analyzer

  CFC

  The cross-fractionation chromatography system combines temperature rising elution fractionation with gel permeation chromatography. It is used to study the joint distribution of chemical composition and molar mass in polyolefins.

• Intrinsic-viscosity analyzer

  IVA

  IVA is an automated instrument for intrinsic-viscosity analysis of polymers. It supports polymer dissolution temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius and is intended to make this property measurement more consistent and less labor-intensive.

• Infrared detectors

  IR4 and IR5

  IR4 and IR5 are infrared detectors for composition and concentration measurements in polymer separation workflows. They can support applications involving gel permeation chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography, HPLC, TREF, GPC-IR, and cross-fractionation chromatography.

1. 1Polymer Charen.wikipedia.org