Do column frits contribute to the on-column, flow-induced degradation of macromolecules?

Flow-induced, on-column degradation is a major hindrance to the accurate characterization of ultra-high molar mass macromolecules and colloids. This degradation is a direct result of the large shear rates which are generated within the column, which cause chain scission to occur both in the interstitial medium and, it has been postulated, at the packing particle pore boundary. An additional putative source of degradation has been the column...