Melt-state 13C NMR spectroscopy of polyolefins has been shown to be sensitive, quantitative and allow rapid sample throughput. The method was implemented in an industrial research and development environment and has proved to be both highly sensitive and versatile. For general problem solving melt-state MAS NMR was found to complement standard high-temperature solution state NMR. The main strength of the technique was found to be the possibility of high throughput, due to the combination of high sensitivity and rapid sample preparation. This was most clearly demonstrated for materials of low solubility. A broad scope of application of melt-state MAS NMR is demonstrated through the study of the whole family of polyolefins including HDPE homopolymers, HDPE copolymers, LLDPE, LDPE, LDPE copolymers, PP homopolymers and PP copolymers. The application of the techniques to the study of fractionated materials and filled materials is also demonstrated. Some key advantages as compared to standard solution-state NMR spectroscopy are emphasized and recent research on decoupling in the molten-state is presented.
