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.     

Organic polymer monoliths as stationary phases for capillary HPLC

Modern rigid porous polymer monoliths were conceived as a new class of stationary phases in classical columns in the early 1990s and later extended to the capillary format. These monolithic materials are typically prepared using a simple molding process carried out within the confines of the capillary. Polymerization of a mixture comprising monomers, initiator, and porogenic solvent affords 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, convection considerably accelerates mass transport within the monolithic separation medium and improves the separations. As a result, monolithic columns perform well even at very high flow rates. Various mechanisms including thermally and UV initiated free radical polymerization as well as ring opening metathesis copolymerizations were demonstrated for the preparation of monolithic capillary columns. The versatility of these preparation techniques was demonstrated by their use with hydrophobic (styrene, divinylbenzene, butyl methacrylate, ethylene dimethacrylate), hydrophilic (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methacrylamide, methylenebisacrylamide), ionizable (vinylsulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid), and tailor-made (norborn-2-ene, 1,4,4a,5,8,8a-hexahydro-1,4,5,8-exo,endo-dimethanonaphthalene) monomers. Variation of polymerization conditions enables control of the porous properties of the monolith over a broad range and mediates the hydrodynamic properties of the monolithic columns. The applications of polymer-based monolithic capillary columns are demonstrated for numerous separations in the microHPLC mode.     

Preparation and application of hydrophobic hybrid monolithic columns containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes for capillary electrochromatography

Hydrophobic organic-inorganic hybrid monolithic columns were synthesized via thermally initiated free radical polymerization with the confines of 75 μm id capillary using a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) reagent containing eight or more methacrylate groups as the crosslinker. Three organic functional monomers, butyl methacrylate (BuMA), lauryl methacrylate (LMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA), were selected and copolymerized with the POSS in the presence of 1-propanol and 1,4-butanediol to prepare the poly(POSS-co-BuMA), poly(POSS-co-LMA), and poly(POSS-co-MAA) monoliths, respectively. The 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) was copolymerized as ionizable monomer into the poly(POSS-co-BuMA) and poly(POSS-co-LMA) for the generation of EOF in capillary electrochromatography (CEC). A hybrid poly(POSS-co-LMA-co-MAA) monolith was also similarly prepared by copolymerizing ternary monomers of POSS, LMA, and MAA, and compared with poly(POSS-co-BuMA), poly(POSS-co-LMA), and poly(POSS-co-MAA) monoliths. The resulting four kinds of POSS-contained hybrid monoliths exhibited good permeability and mechanical stability. Their column efficiencies were evaluated by the separation of alkylbenzene homologues and polar compounds in CEC. The results indicated that the highest efficiencies of 194,100 and 102,100 theoretical plates per meter for thiourea and benzene were obtained on the poly(POSS-co-LMA-co-MAA) monolith. Additionally, the poly(POSS-co-LMA-co-MAA) monolith exhibited better selectivity for separation of polar compounds than those of other hybrid monoliths.     

Recent developments in the field of monolithic stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

This review summarizes the contributions to the rapidly growing area of monolithic columns based on both silica and synthetic polymers for capillary electrochromatography and chip electrochromatography, with a focus on those published during the year 2004. A wide variety of both modified approaches to the "old" monoliths and new monoliths have been reported despite the very short period of time covered. This demonstrates that monolithic stationary phases have become a well-established format in the field of electrochromatography. The simplicity of their preparation as well as the good control over their porous properties and surface chemistries make the monolithic separation media an attractive alternative to capillary columns packed with particulate materials.     

Incorporation of metal‐organic framework amino‐modified MIL‐101 into glycidyl methacrylate monoliths for nano LC separation

Metal‐organic frameworks consisting of amino‐modified MIL‐101(M: Cr, Al, and Fe) crystals have been synthesized and subsequently incorporated to glycidyl methacrylate monoliths to develop novel stationary phases for nano‐liquid chromatography. Two incorporation approaches of these materials in monoliths were explored. The metal‐organic framework materials were firstly attached to the pore surface through reaction of epoxy groups present in the parent glycidyl methacrylate‐based monolith. Alternatively, NH₂‐MIL‐101(M) were admixed in the polymerization mixture. Using short time UV‐initiated polymerization, monolithic beds with homogenously dispersed metal‐organic frameworks were obtained. The chromatographic performance of embedded UV‐initiated composites was demonstrated with separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs as test solutes. In particular, the incorporation of the NH₂‐MIL‐101(Al) into the organic polymer monoliths led to an increase in the retention of all the analytes compared to the parent monolith. The hybrid monolithic columns also exhibited satisfactory run‐to‐run and column‐to‐column reproducibility.     

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes as functional monomer to prepare hybrid monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography

A simple approach to fabricate hybrid monolithic column within the confines of fused-silica capillaries (75 μm i.d.) was introduced. A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) reagent containing a methacrylate group was selected as functional monomer, and copolymerized with bisphenol A dimethacrylate (BPADMA) or ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in the presence of porogenic solvents via thermally initiated free radical polymerization. After optimization of the preparation conditions, two POSS-containing hybrid monoliths were successfully prepared and exhibited good permeability and stability. By comparison of the separation efficiencies of the resulting poly(POSS-co-BPADMA) and poly(POSS-co-EDMA) monoliths in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and capillary liquid chromatography (cLC), it was indicated the former has better column efficiencies for alkylbenzenes, phenols, anilines and PAHs in CEC and cLC than the latter. Particularly, the hybrid poly(POSS-co-BPADMA) monolith is more suitable for separation of PAHs due to π–π interaction between the analytes and aromatic rings in the surface of monolithic stationary phase.     

One‐pot preparation of mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths by the thiol‐ene click reaction for mixed‐mode capillary liquid chromatography

A novel mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolithic column was prepared for capillary liquid chromatography, in which the thiol‐end mercaptotetrazole was mixed with hydrolyzed γ‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and tetramethyloxysilane for the co‐polycondensation and thiol‐ene click reaction in a one‐pot process. The effects of the molar ratio of silanes, the amount of mercaptotetrazole, and the volume of porogen on the morphology, permeability and pore properties of the as‐prepared mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths were investigated in detail. A series of test compounds including alkylbenzenes, amides and anilines were employed for evaluating the retention behaviors of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolithic columns. The results demonstrated that the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths exhibited hydrophobic, hydrophilic as well as ion‐exchange interaction. The run‐to‐run, column‐to‐column and batch‐to‐batch reproducibilities of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths were satisfactory with the relative standard deviations less than 1.4 (n  = 5), 3.9 (n  = 3) and 4.0% (n  = 5), respectively. In addition, the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolith was further applied to the separation of sulfonamides, nucleobases and protein tryptic digests. These successful applications confirmed the promising potential of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolith in the separation of complex samples.     

含多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷杂化毛细管整体柱的制备及修饰

本文采用自由基聚合法原位制备了两种杂化毛细管整体柱。首先以含有一个甲基丙烯酸基团的多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷(POSS)试剂(Bu-POSS)为单体、以含有多个甲基丙烯酸基团的POSS试剂(POSS-MA)为交联剂在二元致孔剂(正丙醇/聚乙二醇400)和引发剂(偶氮二异丁腈)存在下发生热引发聚合,在毛细管中形成聚(Bu-POSS-co-POSS-MA)杂化整体柱;另外仅以POSS-MA为单体在相同条件下制备聚(POSS-MA)杂化整体柱,并将这两种杂化整体柱应用于小分子的毛细管液相色谱(cLC)分析。结果表明,含POSS杂化整体柱具有制备简单、重现性好以及稳定性高的特点。此外,利用聚(POSS-MA)杂化整体柱表面剩余的甲基丙烯酸基团,可以将功能单体(甲基丙烯酸硬脂酸酯等)化学键合到整体柱上,不但可以提高色谱柱效,而且使其具有不同的选择性。本文所发展的以POSS试剂为原料采用自由基聚合法制备杂化整体柱的方法为新型杂化整体柱的制备提供了一种新思路。     

Preparation and evaluation of hydrophilic C18 monolithic sorbents for enhanced polar compound retention in liquid chromatography and solid phase extraction

Hydrophilic C18 monolithic polymer sorbents were synthesized for use in solid phase extraction (SPE) and in capillary liquid chromatography (LC). The approach involved incorporating both hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers into a monolithic material, by copolymerization of stearyl methacrylate (SMA), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMEMA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in the presence of selected porogens, to produce translucent mesoporous monolithic materials in bulk (SPE) or white macroporous monoliths inside fused silica capillary columns (capillary LC). A capillary column containing one of the hydrophilic C18 monoliths (i.e. poly(SMA-co-PEGMEMA-co-EDMA) with 15% (w/w) PEGMEMA) demonstrated nearly 35% reduction in retention of polycyclic aromatic compounds and greater than 40% increase in retention of phenols compared to a hydrophobic C18 monolithic column. In addition, the hydrophilic monolith demonstrated significantly improved resolution of phenols. Similar monolithic materials prepared in bulk were ground and sieved to obtain 45-65 μm particles with desired rigidity for SPE. To achieve optimum extraction performance for phenols, several parameters, including sample pH and volume, and eluent type and volume, were investigated. Under optimized experimental conditions, the method demonstrated good sensitivity (1.6 ng/mL LOD) and linearity (R(2)>0.97 for 10-200 ng/mL). Again, incorporation of 15% (w/w) PEGMEMA in the monolith increased the extraction efficiency of phenols in water from approximately 20% to 67-92% compared to a hydrophobic C18 monolithic material. Increased wettability of the sorbent by the aqueous sample matrix and the presence of hydrogen-bonding interactions are responsible for the improved retention of polar compounds.     

整体柱在样品预处理中的应用

综述了近年来整体柱在样品预处理领域中的应用,包括整体柱样品预富集同高效液相色谱、毛细管电泳和电色谱的联用,微流控芯片中的整体柱萃取以及近年来整体柱萃取模式的改进等。引用文献65篇。     

Fabrication of large‐sized silica monolith exceeding 1000 mL with high structural homogeneity

Reproducible fabrication of the hierarchically porous monolithic silica in a large volume exceeding 1000 mL has been established. By the hydrothermal enlargement of the fully accessible small pores to exceed 50 nm in diameter, the capillary force emerged on solvent evaporation was dramatically reduced, which allowed the preparation of crack‐free monoliths with evaporative solvent removal under an ambient pressure. The local temperature inhomogeneity within a reaction vessel in a large volume was precisely controlled to cancel the heat evolved by the hydrolysis reaction of tetramethoxysilane and that consumed to melt ice cubes dispersed in the solution, resulting in large monolithic silica pieces with improved structural homogeneity. Homogeneity of the pore structure was confirmed, both on macro‐ and mesoscales, using SEM, mercury intrusion, and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements. Furthermore, the deviations in chromatographic performance were examined by evaluating multiple smaller monolithic columns prepared from the monolithic silica pieces cut from different parts of a large monolith. All the daughter columns thus prepared exhibited comparable performances to each other to prove the overall homogeneity of the mother monolith. Preliminary results on high‐speed separation of peptides and proteins by the octadecylsilylated silica monolith of the above production have also been demonstrated.     

基于巯基-烯点击反应制备有机-无机杂化硼酸亲和整体柱用于糖蛋白的选择性富集

发展了以巯基-烯点击反应制备有机-无机杂化硼酸亲和整体柱的新方法。首先以四甲氧基硅烷(TMOS)和巯丙基三甲氧基硅烷(MPTMS)作为反应单体,采用溶胶-凝胶反应制备表面含巯基的硅胶整体柱。然后利用巯基-烯(thiol-ene)的点击反应在整体柱上修饰硼酸配基3-丙烯酰胺基苯硼酸(AAPBA),制成AAPBA-硅胶杂化亲和整体柱。对影响硼酸亲和整体柱性能的条件如TMOS与MPTMS的比例、聚乙二醇和甲醇的用量等进行了优化。并采用扫描电镜、红外光谱等分析仪器对整体柱形貌和机械稳定性能进行了表征。研究了AAPBA-硅胶杂化亲和整体柱的分离性能,结果表明,其在中性条件下对含有顺式二醇的生物小分子核苷具有良好的特异亲和能力,并已成功地应用于卵清蛋白、辣根过氧化物酶等糖蛋白的分离。基于巯基-烯反应的制备方法新颖、可靠,可用于制备多种不同类型的硼酸亲和整体柱,具有较大的应用前景。     

Preparation and characterisation of anion-exchange latex-coated silica monoliths for capillary electrochromatography

Silica monoliths coated with functionalised latex particles have been prepared for use in monolithic ion-exchange capillary electrochromatography (IE-CEC) for the separation of inorganic anions. The ion-exchange monoliths were prepared using 70 nm quaternary ammonium, anion-exchange latex particles, which were bound electrostatically to a monolithic silica skeleton synthesised in a fused silica capillary. The resulting stationary phases were characterised in terms of their chromatographic performance and capacity. The capacity of a 50 microm diameter 25 cm latex-coated silica monolith was found to be 0.342 nanoequivalents and 80,000 theoretical plates per column were typically achieved for weakly retained anions, with lower efficiency being observed for analytes exhibiting strong ion-exchange interaction with the stationary phase. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) was reversed after the latex-coating was applied (-25.96 m2 V(-1) s(-1), relative standard deviation (RSD) 2.8%) and resulted in anions being separated in the co-EOF mode. Ion-exchange interactions between the analytes and the stationary phase were manipulated by varying the ion-exchange selectivity coefficient and the concentration of a competing ion (phosphate or perchlorate) present in the electrolyte. Large concentrations of competing ion (greater than 1M phosphate or 200 mM perchlorate) were required to completely suppress ion-exchange interactions, which highlighted the significant retention effects that could be achieved using monolithic columns compared to open tubular columns, without the problems associated with particle-packed columns. The latex-coated silica monoliths were easily produced in bulk quantities and performed reproducibly in acidic electrolytes. The high permeability and beneficial phase ratio makes these columns ideal for micro-LC and preconcentration applications.     

Development and application of polymeric monolithic stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

Monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography are receiving quite remarkable attention. This review summarizes results excerpted from numerous papers concerning this rapidly growing area with a focus on monoliths prepared from synthetic polymers. Both the simplicity of the in situ preparation and the large number of readily available chemistries make the monolithic separation media a vital alternative to capillary columns packed with particulate materials. Therefore, they are now a well-established stationary phase format in the field of capillary electrochromatography. A wide variety of synthetic approaches as well as materials used for the preparation of the monolithic stationary phases are presented in detail. The analytical potential of these columns is demonstrated with separations involving various families of compounds and different chromatographic modes.     

Recent advances in the preparation and application of monolithic capillary columns in separation science

Novel column technologies involving various materials and efficient reactions have been investigated for the fabrication of monolithic capillary columns in the field of analytical chemistry. In addition to the development of these miniaturized systems, a variety of microscale separation applications have achieved noteworthy results, providing a stepping stone for new types of chromatographic columns with improved efficiency and selectivity. Three novel strategies for the preparation of capillary monoliths, including ionic liquid-based approaches, nanoparticle-based approaches and “click chemistry”, are highlighted in this review. Furthermore, we present the employment of state-of-the-art capillary monolithic stationary phases for enantioseparation, solid-phase microextraction, mixed-mode separation and immobilized enzyme reactors. The review concludes with recommendations for future studies and improvements in this field of research.     

Preparation of cyclodextrin‐modified monolithic hybrid columns for the fast enantioseparation of hydroxy acids in capillary liquid chromatography

Cyclodextrins and their derivatives are one of the most common and successful chiral selectors. However, there have been few publications about the use of cyclodextrin‐modified monoliths. In this study, organic hybrid monoliths were prepared by the immobilization of derivatized β‐cyclodextrin alone or with l‐ 2‐allylglycine hydrochloride to the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacryl substituted monolith. The main topic of this study is a combined system with dual chiral selectors (l‐ 2‐allylglycine hydrochloride and β‐cyclodextrin) as monolithic chiral stationary phase. The effect of l‐ 2‐allylglycine hydrochloride concentration on enantioseparation was investigated. The enantioseparation of the four acidic compounds with resolutions up to 2.87 was achieved within 2.5 min on the prepared chiral monolithic column in capillary liquid chromatography. Moreover, the possible mechanism of enantioseparation was discussed.     

Monolithic Stationary Phases for Capillary Electrochromatography Based on Synthetic Polymers: Designs and Applications

Monolithic materials have quickly become a well‐established stationary phase format in the field of capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Both the simplicity of their in situ preparation method and the large variety of readily available chemistries make the monolithic separation media an attractive alternative to capillary columns packed with particulate materials. This review summarizes the contributions of numerous groups working in this rapidly growing area, with a focus on monolithic capillary columns prepared from synthetic polymers. Various approaches employed for the preparation of the monoliths are detailed, and where available, the material properties of the resulting monolithic capillary columns are shown. Their chromatographic performance is demonstrated by numerous separations of different analyte mixtures in variety of modes. Although detailed studies of the effect of polymer properties on the analytical performance of monolithic capillaries remain scarce at this early stage of their development, this review also discusses some important relationships such as the effect of pore size on the separation performance in more detail.     

One‐step strategy for the synthesis of a derivatized cyclodextrin‐based monolithic column

Derivatized β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) functionalized monolithic columns were prepared by a “one‐step” strategy using click chemistry. First, the intended derivatized β‐CD monomers were synthesized by a click reaction between propargyl methacrylate and mono‐6‐azido‐β‐CD and then sulfonation or methylation was carried out. Finally, monolithic columns were prepared through a one‐step in situ copolymerization of the derivatized β‐CD monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The sulfated β‐CD‐based monolith was successfully applied to the hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography separation of nucleosides and small peptides, while the methylated β‐CD‐functionalized monolith was useful for the separation of nonpolar compounds and drug enantiomers in capillary reversed‐phase liquid chromatography. The structures of the monomers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The physicochemical properties and column performance of monoliths were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and micro high performance liquid chromatography. This strategy has considerable prospects for the preparation of other derivatized CD‐functionalized methacrylate monoliths.     

Applications of monolithic columns in gas chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography

Porous monoliths are well‐known stationary phases in high‐performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography. Contrastingly, their use in other types of separation methods such as gas or supercritical fluid chromatography is limited and scarce. In particular, very few studies address the use of monolithic columns in supercritical fluid chromatography. These are limited to silica‐based monoliths and will be covered in this review together with an underlying reason for this trend. The application of monoliths in gas chromatography has received much more attention and is well documented in two reviews by Svec and Kurganov published in 2008 and 2013, respectively. The most recent studies, covered in this review, build on the previous findings and on further understanding of the influence of preparation conditions on porous properties and chromatographic performance of poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene), polymethacrylate, and silica‐based monolithic columns while expanding to polymer‐based monoliths with incorporated metal organic frameworks and to vinylized hybrid silica monoliths. In addition, the potential application of porous layer open tubular monolithic columns in low‐pressure gas chromatography will be addressed.     

Affinity monolith chromatography: A review of general principles and recent developments

Affinity monolith chromatography (AMC) is a liquid chromatographic technique that utilizes a monolithic support with a biological ligand or related binding agent to isolate, enrich, or detect a target analyte in a complex matrix. The target-specific interaction exhibited by the binding agents makes AMC attractive for the separation or detection of a wide range of compounds. This article will review the basic principles of AMC and recent developments in this field. The supports used in AMC will be discussed, including organic, inorganic, hybrid, carbohydrate, and cryogel monoliths. Schemes for attaching binding agents to these monoliths will be examined as well, such as covalent immobilization, biospecific adsorption, entrapment, molecular imprinting, and coordination methods. An overview will then be given of binding agents that have recently been used in AMC, along with their applications. These applications will include bioaffinity chromatography, immunoaffinity chromatography, immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography, and dye-ligand or biomimetic affinity chromatography. The use of AMC in chiral separations and biointeraction studies will also be discussed.