SEC Column for PEG and Hydrophilic Polymers Using Water/ACN/MeOH Solvents

Record: 705

Category: Column Selection
Product: GF series
Sample: PEG, hydroxy polymers

Question

We are looking for a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) column suitable for a wide molecular-weight range, using polar organic solvents such as water, acetonitrile (ACN), or methanol (MeOH).
Samples include PEG, hydroxy polymers, and other hydrophilic materials.
Which Shodex column is recommended?

Answer

The recommended column for PEG, hydroxy polymers, and other hydrophilic polymers is the Shodex Asahipak GF-HQ series.

The GF-HQ series is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based SEC column with exceptionally broad solvent compatibility, allowing both aqueous and organic mobile phases including water, MeOH, ACN, DMF, DMSO (up to 50%), THF, ethanol, acetone, and chloroform.
This makes it ideal for analyzing hydrophilic and amphiphilic polymers under mixed or fully organic conditions.

The surface of the GF-HQ packing has low polarity (slightly negative), which can produce mild hydrophobic interactions when using low organic solvent content. These interactions can be minimized by increasing the proportion of organic solvent (ACN or MeOH) in the eluent.

Recommended models:

• GF-310 HQ – MW range ≈ 300 – 30,000 Da (pullulan equivalent)
• GF-510 HQ – MW range ≈ 5,000 – 200,000 Da
• GF-7M HQ – mixed-gel column covering 300 – 10,000,000 Da, ideal for wide-distribution samples.

Recommended application:
Influence of PEG Analysis with GF-310 HQ by Eluent Composition

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