Resource Person: Dr. Viko Lelta
Staff Scientist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
On May 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., the Analytical Instrumentation course at Universitas Diponegoro organized an online Undip Global Classroom session. Moderated by the course lecturer, Prof. Drs. Gunawan, M.Si., Ph.D., the event carried the theme “A Guide to Practical Liquid Chromatography.”
The session focused on Gel Permeation Chromatography/Size Exclusion Chromatography–Liquid Chromatography (GPC/SEC-LC), a liquid chromatography technique used for the analysis of macromolecules, particularly polymers. The invited speaker was Dr. Viko Lelta, a Staff Scientist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. He has more than 10 years of experience in material analysis using chromatography methods.
During the session, Dr. Viko explained that researchers are generally more familiar with Gas Chromatography (GC) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), which are commonly applied to simple molecules. In contrast, GPC/SEC-LC is specifically designed for macromolecular analysis with molecular weights ranging from 10⁴ to 10⁷, making it highly important in the polymer industry.
He further described the application of GPC/SEC-LC in analyzing various synthetic polymers, including elastomers such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and silicone rubber; thermosetting polymers such as epoxies, polyurethanes, polyesters, amino resins, and furans; as well as thermoplastics including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The technique also enables researchers to determine the molecular weight distribution of polymers being analyzed.
The Undip Global Classroom event was attended by 26 participants consisting of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Department of Chemistry.
