Monolithic stationary phases with a longitudinal gradient of porosity

The duration of the hypercrosslinking reaction has been used to control the extent of small pores formation in polymer‐based monolithic stationary phases. Segments of five columns hypercrosslinked for 30–360 min were coupled via zero‐volume unions to prepare columns with segmented porosity gradients. The steepness of the porosity gradient affected column efficiency, mass transfer resistance, and separation of both small‐molecule alkylbenzenes and high‐molar‐mass polystyrene standards. In addition, the segmented column with the steepest porosity gradient was prepared as a single column with a continuous porosity gradient. The steepness of porosity gradient in this type column was tuned. Compared to a completely hypercrosslinked column, the column with the shallower gradient produced comparable size‐exclusion separation of polystyrene standards but allowed higher column permeability. The completely hypercrosslinked column and the column with porosity gradient were successfully coupled in online two‐dimensional liquid chromatography of polymers.     

Monolithic columns with optimized pore structure for molecular size-based separations of synthetic polymers

Monolithic capillary columns based on divinylbenzene were synthesized using different alcanols as porogens. Prepared columns were tested in separation of polystyrene standards according to their molar mass (MM) and were characterized by corresponding calibration graphs. It was demonstrated that a decrease of alcanol chain length from dodecanol to octanol resulted in a decrease of column permeability and in an improved column ability to separate polystyrene standards. In contrast, removing a good solvent from porogen mixture results in an increase of column permeability and in a decrease of column performance toward polystyrene standards. Optimized synthetic conditions included porogen composed of nonanol and toluene or mesytilene, and the column prepared with this porogen was capable of separating a mixture of 14 polystyrene standards with MM ranged from several millions to oligomers.     

Monolithic capillary columns based on ethylene glycol dimethacrylate for separation of polymers by molecular mass

Polar monolithic capillary columns for the molecular-mass separation of polystyrene standards are synthesized on the basis of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The monolith structure is optimized through variation in the type of porogen because variation in other synthesis parameters (the time and temperature of polymerization, the amount of monomer in the initial feed) is inefficient. The separation of polymers on monolithic sorbents proceeds via a combined exclusion-hydrodynamic mechanism. In terms of a model that allows for contributions of both mechanisms to retention, calibration plots are drawn for the synthesized columns. Monolithic columns with the optimum monolith structure make it possible to use up to 60% of the column free volume for the efficient separation of polymers in a broad molecular-mass range.     

Liquid Chromatography of Synthetic Polymers under Limiting Conditions of Insolubility III

Summary Performance was evaluated of silica based commercial monolithic rod-like columns in liquid chromatography of synthetic polymers under limiting conditions of enthalpic interactions (LC LC). LC LC employs the barrier effect of the pore permeating and therefore slowly eluting small molecules toward the pore excluded, fast eluting macromolecules. Phase separation (precipitation) barrier action was applied in present study. The barrier was created either by the narrow pulse of an appropriate nonsolvent injected into the column just before the sample solution (LC LC of insolubility – LC LCI) or by the eluent itself. In the latter case, the polymer sample was dissolved and injected in a good solvent (LC LC of solubility – LC LCS). In LC LCI, polymer species cannot break thru the nonsolvent zone while in LC LCS they cannot enter eluent, which is their precipitant. Therefore, polymer species keep moving in the zone of their original solvent. Macromolecules eluting under the LC LC mechanism leave the column in the retention volume (V_R) roughly corresponding to V_R of the low molar mass substances and can be efficiently separated from the polymer species non-hindered by the barrier action. The known advantages of monoliths were confirmed. From the point of view of LC LCI and LC LCS the most important quality of monolithic columns represents their excellent permeability, which allows both working at high flow rates and injecting very high (in the range of 5%) sample concentrations. Monolithic column tolerate also extremely high molar mass samples (M>10,000 kg · mol⁻¹). On the other hand, the mesopores (separation pores) of the tested monoliths exhibited rather small volume and wide size distribution. These shortcomings partially impair the permeability advantage of monoliths because in order to obtain high LC LC separation selectivity a tandem of several monolithic columns must be applied. Presence of large mesopores also reduces applicability of monolithic columns for molar masses below about 50 kg · mol⁻¹ because V_Rs of polymers eluted behind the barrier are similar to that of freely eluting species. The non- negligible break-thru phenomenon was observed for the very high polymer molar masses largely eluting behind the barrier. It is assumed that the fraction of very large mesopores present in the monoliths or association/microphase separation of macromolecules may be responsible for this phenomenon. This is why the presently marketed SiO₂ monolithic columns are mainly suitable for the fast purification of the LC LC eluting macromolecules from the polymeric admixtures non-hindered by the barrier-forming liquid. Still, monolithic columns have large potential in the LC LCI and LC LCS procedures provided size (effective diameter) of the mesopores can be reduced and their volume increased.     

Porous Monoliths: Stationary Phases of Choice for High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Various Formats

 Modern porous monoliths have been conceived as a new class of stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in classical columns in the early 1990s and later extended to the capillary format. These monolithic materials are prepared using simple processes carried out in an external mold (inorganic monoliths) or within the confines of the column (organic monoliths and all capillary columns). These methods afford macroporous materials with large through-pores that enable applications in a rapid flow-through mode. Since all the mobile phase must flow through the monolith, the convection considerably accelerates mass transport within the monolithic separation medium and improves the separations. As a result, the monolithic columns perform well even at very high flow rates. The applications of monolithic capillary columns are demonstrated on numerous separations in the HPLC mode.     

Hypercrosslinking: new approach to porous polymer monolithic capillary columns with large surface area for the highly efficient separation of small molecules

Monolithic polymers with an unprecedented surface area of over 600 m(2)/g have been prepared from a poly(styrene-co-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-divinylbenzene) precursor monolith that was swollen in 1,2-dichloroethane and hypercrosslinked via Friedel-Crafts reaction catalyzed by ferric chloride. Both the composition of the reaction mixture used for the preparation of the precursor monolith and the conditions of the hypercrosslinking reaction have been varied using mathematical design of experiments and the optimized system validated. Hypercrosslinked monolithic capillary columns contain an array of small pores that make the column ideally suited for the high efficiency isocratic separations of small molecules such as uracil and alkylbenzenes with column efficiencies reproducibly exceeding 80,000 plates/m for retained compounds. The separation process could be accelerated while also improving peak shape through the use of higher temperatures and a ternary mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and water. As a result, seven compounds were well separated in less than 2 min. These columns also facilitate separations of peptide mixtures such as a tryptic digest of cytochrome c using a gradient elution mode which affords a sequence coverage of 93%. A 65 cm long hypercrosslinked capillary column used in size exclusion mode with tetrahydrofuran as the mobile phase afforded almost baseline separation of toluene and five polystyrene standards.     

Monolithic capillary columns based on pentaerythritol acrylates for molecular‐size‐based separations of synthetic polymers

Monolithic capillary columns based on pentaerythritol triacrylate and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate were synthesized using different compositions of polymerization mixtures and different polymerization conditions. The impact of porogen type and porogen/monomer ratio on the porosity of synthesized monoliths was investigated. Porogen type appears to be the main factor influencing the separating properties of the monolithic sorbent. Using optimal polymerization conditions (porogen type, porogen/monomer ratio, reaction temperature, time etc.) monoliths with a porous structure optimized for polymer separations can be obtained. The monolithic capillary columns containing porous sorbents with optimized porosity are capable of separating 10 to 12 polystyrene standards in one chromatographic run utilizing both size exclusion chromatography and hydrodynamic chromatography separation mechanisms.     

Unusually high efficiency of the separation of polymers by hydrodynamic chromatography on hollow capillary columns

A series of polystyrene standards was separated by means of hydrodynamic chromatography on a open capillary with a length of 5 m (active zone is 4.5 m) and an inner diameter of 2 μm. Unusually high efficiency in the separation of polymers with masses of up to 500 kDa was noticed: 1.5 × 10⁶ theoretical plates at a retention time of ～70 min for a sample of polystyrene with a mass of 390 kDa. It was established that the column efficiency decreases rapidly for polymers with a mass above 500 kDa. A calibration curve for polystyrene standards was constructed. It was shown that, in contrast to the models described in the literature, it is described by a simple two-term expression without quadratic terms. It is concluded that hydrodynamic chromatography is a technique complementary to exclusion chromatography, especially in the separation of high-molecular polymers.     

Investigating the structure of a monolithic capillary column by means of hydrodynamic and size-exclusion chromatography

The porosity of a monolithic capillary column having a structure optimized for gas chromatographic analysis was investigated by means of hydrodynamic and size-exclusion chromatography. It was found that the total porosity of the column exceeded 90%, and the column had a bimodal pore structure with a micropore diameter of about 1.5 nm and a macropore diameter of about 1.2 μm. The column separated with good selectivity high molecular mass polystyrene standards with molecular masses higher than 100 kDa and low molecular mass solutes of up to 500 Da. The structure of monolithic column has to be optimized for application in hydrodynamic chromatography with an aim to provide selectivity on separation of polymers with molecular mass from 1 to 100 kDa.     

Methacrylate monolithic columns of 320 microm I.D. for capillary liquid chromatography

Monolithic capillary columns (320 microm I.D.) were prepared for capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) by radical polymerization of butylmethacrylate (BMA) and ethylenedimethacrylate (EDMA) in the presence of a porogen solvent containing propan-1-ol, butane-1,4-diol and water. The influence of the contents of the porogen solvent and EDMA in the polymerization mixture on the monolith porosity and column efficiency was investigated. The composition of the polymerization mixture was optimized to attain a minimum HETP of the order of tens of microm for test compounds with various polarities. The separation performance and selectivity of the most efficient monolithic column prepared was characterized by van Deemter curves, peak asymmetry factors and Walters hydrophobicity and silanol indices. It was demonstrated that the 320-microm I.D. monolithic column exhibited CLC separation performance similar to that observed for 100- and 150-microm I.D. monolithic columns reported in the literature; moreover, the 320-microm I.D. column was easier to operate in CLC and exhibited a higher sample loadability.     

聚二乙烯苯整体柱的制备及其在气相色谱分析中的应用

初步探讨了毛细管整体柱的制备方法及其在气相色谱分析中的应用。以液相色谱用毛细管整体柱作为研究基础,通过改变甲苯和十二醇的比例,使整体柱适用于气相色谱分析。通过二乙烯苯与键合在管壁上的3-(异丁烯酰氯)丙基三甲氧基硅烷(TMP)键合以及其自身的聚合,获得具有牢固结构、良好机械强度的整体柱。将其用于混合溶剂的分析和白酒标样的分析,可直接分析水中低碳醇。与现有的商品柱进行比较,结果表明所制备的整体柱均优于用以对照的商品色谱柱,其中在混合溶剂的分析中,醇类、酯类、酮类和芳烃类的峰形均优于用于比较的多孔层开口管(PLOT)柱;在白酒标样分析中,使得乙醛、甲醇、乙酸乙酯的色谱峰能够分开,比现有的聚乙二醇(PEG-20M)柱的分析方法更为便捷。     

Recent developments of monolithic and open‐tubular capillary electrochromatography (2017–2019)

Capillary electrochromatography, which combined the high selectivity of high‐performance liquid chromatography and the high separation efficiency of capillary electrophoresis, is an attractive separation tool. In this review, the developments on monolithic and open tubular capillary electrochromatography during 2017 to August 2019 are summarized. Considering the development of novel stationary phases is the most active research field in capillary electrochromatography, monolithic capillary electrochromatography is classified according to the polymer‐based and hybrid monolithic columns, while open‐tubular capillary electrochromatography is categorized by cyclodextrin, silica, polymer, nanomaterials, microporous materials, and biomaterials‐based open tubular columns.     

Comprehensive two‐dimensional monolithic liquid chromatography of polar compounds

Two‐dimensional liquid chromatography largely increases the number of separated compounds in a single run, theoretically up to the product of the peaks separated in each dimension on the columns with different selectivities. On‐line coupling of a reversed‐phase column with an aqueous normal‐phase (hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography) column yields orthogonal systems with high peak capacities. Fast on‐line two‐dimensional liquid chromatography needs a capillary or micro‐bore column providing low‐volume effluent fractions transferred to a short efficient second‐dimension column for separation at a high mobile phase flow rate. We prepared polymethacrylate zwitterionic monolithic micro‐columns in fused silica capillaries with structurally different dimethacrylate cross‐linkers. The columns provide dual retention mechanism (hydrophilic interaction and reversed‐phase). Setting the mobile phase composition allows adjusting the separation selectivity for various polar substance classes. Coupling on‐line an organic polymer monolithic capillary column in the first dimension with a short silica‐based monolithic column in the second dimension provides two‐dimensional liquid chromatography systems with high peak capacities. The silica monolithic C₁₈ columns provide higher separation efficiency than the particle‐packed columns at the flow rates as high as 5 mL/min used in the second dimension. Decreasing the diameter of the silica monolithic columns allows using a higher flow rate at the maximum operation pressure and lower fraction volumes transferred from the first, hydrophilic interaction dimension, into the second, reversed‐phase mode, avoiding the mobile phase compatibility issues, improving the resolution, increasing the peak capacity, and the peak production rate.     

光聚合整体式咖啡因印迹毛细管柱的制备及分离性能

分子印迹技术作为一种制备对目标分子具有专一识别能力的功能高分子的方法 ,近年来在化学化工、生物化学与生物技术的许多领域中得到广泛应用 [1～ 4 ] .分子印迹技术与微分离方法 (包括微柱液相色谱、毛细管电泳、毛细管电色谱和芯片分离等 )结合已引起人们极大的兴趣和关注[5,6] .毛细管柱是毛细管电色谱和微柱液相色谱的关键部件 ,目前普遍使用的是烷基键合硅胶微粒的填充柱 ,存在制备时须烧塞和填充两大困难 ,以及使用时易产生气泡和易折断等缺点 .将含被识别分子 (印迹分子 )、交联剂、溶剂、功能单体和引发剂的混合液注入毛细管 ,经光…     

Hydrodynamic chromatography of macromolecules using polymer monolithic columns

The selectivity window of size-based separations of macromolecules was tailored by tuning the macropore size of polymer monolithic columns. Monolithic materials with pore sizes ranging between 75 nm and 1.2 μm were prepared in situ in large I.D. columns. The dominant separation mechanism was hydrodynamic chromatography in the flow-through pores. The calibration curves for synthetic polymers matched with the elution behavior by HDC separations in packed columns with 'analyte-to-pore' aspect ratios (λ) up to 0.2. For large-macropore monoliths, a deviation in retention behavior was observed for small polystyrene polymers (M(r)<20 kDa), which may be explained by a combined HDC-SEC mechanism for λ<0.02. The availability of monoliths with very narrow pore sizes allowed investigation of separations at high λ values. For high-molecular weight polymers (M(r)>300,000 Da) confined in narrow channels, the separation strongly depended on flow rate. Flow-rate dependent elution behavior was evaluated by calculation of Deborah numbers and confirmed to be outside the scope of classic shear deformation or slalom chromatography. Shear-induced forces acting on the periphery of coiled polymers in solution may be responsible for flow-rate dependent elution.     

Organic polymer‐based monolithic capillary columns and their applications in food analysis

In recent years, the use of organic polymer monolithic capillary columns in separation science has gained popularity due to the fact that they are easy to fabricate and do not require retaining frits. These materials have been applied in different fields including foods, proteomics, and pharmaceuticals. The interest in food analysis still needs to develop in order to increase the sensitivity towards micro/nano‐scale food applications for food samples of < 5 μg (e.g., foodomics). In this regard, polymer monolithic capillary columns offer great separation capability in the food analytical separation science. We review the most important applications in food analysis using polymer monolithic capillary columns. In addition, several examples of the use of capillary separation methods combined with mass spectrometry detection in food analysis are summarized.     

Characterization of some physical and chromatographic properties of monolithic poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) columns

Monolithic capillary columns were prepared by copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene inside a 200 microm i.d. fused silica capillary using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and decanol as porogen. Important chromatographic features of the synthesized columns were characterized and critically compared to the properties of columns packed with micropellicular, octadecylated poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB-C18) particles. The permeability of a 60 mm long monolithic column was slightly higher than that of an equally dimensioned column packed with PS-DVB-C18 beads and was invariant up to at least 250 bar column inlet pressure, indicating the high-pressure stability of the monolithic columns. Interestingly, monolithic columns showed a 3.6 times better separation efficiency for oligonucleotides than granular columns. To study differences of the molecular diffusion processes between granular and monolithic columns, Van Deemter plots were measured. Due to the favorable pore structure of monolithic columns all kind of diffusional band broadening was reduced two to five times. Using inverse size-exclusion chromatography a total porosity of 70% was determined, which consisted of internodule porosity (20%) and internal porosity (50%). The observed fast mass transfer and the resulting high separation efficiency suggested that the surface of the monolithic stationary phase is rather rough and does not feature real pores accessible to macromolecular analytes such as polypeptides or oligonucleotides. The maximum analytical loading capacity of monolithic columns for oligonucleotides was found to be in the region of 500 fmol, which compared well to the loading capacity of the granular columns. Batch-to-batch reproducibility proved to be better with granular stationary phases compared to monolithic stationary phase, in which each column bed is the result of a unique column preparation process.     

The fabrication of poly (polyethylene glycol diacrylate) monolithic porous layer open tubular (mono‐PLOT) columns and applications in hydrophilic interaction chromatography and capillary gas chromatography for small molecules

The easy shrinkage and swelling of polymer monolithic column when exposed to mobile phase with different polarity is a problem that cannot be ignored. To overcome this drawback, a convenient aqueous two‐phase polymerization approach was used to prepare poly (polyethylene glycol diacrylate, PEGDA) monolithic porous layer open tubular (mono‐PLOT) columns (150 μm). The poly(PEGDA) mono‐PLOT column with homogeneous polymer porous layer was synthesized successfully. A maximum plate number of 41,500 plates per meter for allyl thiourea was obtained under a velocity of 1.8 mm/s. Several kinds of polar molecule were separated on the proposed mono‐PLOT column and a typical hydrophilic interaction retention mechanism was observed. High speed separation of benzoic acids was also carried out, baseline separation of five benzoic acids was successfully achieved within 5 min with a 70 cm mono‐PLOT column at 50°C. Furthermore, the resulting PLOT column was also successfully applied to separate standard analytes of three DNA oxidative damage products and RNA‐modified nucleosides and four chlorophenols. At last, the column could separate alcohols, alkanes, and aromatic isomers via GC. It had more than 20,000 plates per meter for butanol – higher than commercial coatings open tubular columns.     

新型亲水整体柱的制备及其在毛细管液相色谱和加压电色谱中的应用

以N,N-二甲基-N-甲基丙烯酰胺基丙基-N,N-二甲基-N-丙烷磺酸内盐(SPP)为单体,季戊四醇三丙烯酸酯(PETA)为交联剂,偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)为引发剂及两类不同的致孔剂(乙醇/乙二醇和甲醇/1,4-丁二醇)制备了两种新型亲水性整体柱。为了获得理想的柱效、电渗流速度和渗透性,对制备整体柱的各反应物配比进行了研究和优化。比较了两种整体柱在渗透性和分离样品方面的性能,结果表明,以乙醇/乙二醇为致孔剂制备的整体柱在柱效、分离度方面优于以甲醇/1,4-丁二醇为致孔剂制备的整体柱,但在渗透性方面不及后者。探讨了流动相中盐浓度对核苷类样品保留的影响,发现当甲酸铵浓度从10 mmol/L增加到70 mmol/L时,核苷样品的保留因子呈现先增加后减小的状态。将制备的整体柱用于毛细管液相色谱和加压电色谱分别分离胺类、酚类和核苷类样品,获得了理想的分离效果。在分离酚类和核苷类混合样品时,发现加压毛细管电色谱在分离度和分离速度上均优于毛细管液相色谱。     

Semi‐online nanoflow liquid chromatography/matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry of synthetic polymers using an octadecylsilyl‐modified monolithic silica capillary column

We have designed a semi‐online liquid chromatography/matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LC/MALDI‐MS) system to introduce eluent from a octadecylsilyl (ODS) group modified monolithic silica capillary chromatographic column directly onto a sample plate for MALDI‐MS analysis. Our novel semi‐online system is useful for rapidly and sensitively examining the performance of a monolithic capillary column. An additional advantage is the small elution volume of a monolithic capillary column, which allows delicate eluents, such as 1,1,1,3,3,3,‐hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol (HFIP), to be used to achieve cost‐effective analysis. Using the semi‐online LC/MALDI‐MS system, chromatographic separation of polymers by the monolithic column with different eluents was studied. Separation of poly(methyl methacrylate) and Nylon 6/6 showed that the column functioned via size‐exclusion separation when tetrahydrofuran or HFIP eluent was used. On the other hand, the separation behavior of Nylon 11 indicated a reversed‐phase mode owing to the interaction of the polymer with the modified ODS group in the column. Using tetrahydrofuran/methanol (1:1, v/v) as the eluent, the LC/MALDI‐MS spectra of poly(lactic acid), which contains both linear and cyclic polymer structures, showed that the column could separate the hydrophobic cyclic polymer and elute it out relatively slowly. The monolithic column functions basically via size‐exclusion separation; the reversed‐phase separation by interaction with the ODS functions may have less influence on column separation. The semi‐online monolithic capillary LC/MALDI‐MS method we have developed should provide a means of effectively analyzing synthetic polymers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.