A polymer structure and function of lignophenol was examined by various structural analysis of lignophenols fractionated with preparative SEC. The base unit of lignophenol is 1,1-bis (aryl) propane-2-O-aryl ether unit in all the molecular weight areas by FT-IR and NMR analysis. But the amounts of combined cresol and phenolic hydroxyl groups were increased with decreasing molecular weight of fractionated lignophenols.
The molecular morphology of lignophenol and conventional lignins were analyzed with SEC-MALLS system. The difference in the molecular weight of lignin determined by MALLS and conventional calibration methods using linear polystyrene standard can show the difference of molecular morphology of lignin. The molecular morphology of lignocresol was more spreading and linearity, compared with other lignins. It was suggested that this characteristic of lignophenol is concerned with thermoplasticity of lignophenol that other lignins do not have.