Sol-gel monolithic anion-exchange column for capillary electrochromatography

A single-step approach has been used to prepare a monolithic electrochromatographic column by sol-gel processing of an organofunctional silicon alkoxide precursor that contains a propyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium group. We have found that the time of adding the porogen, poly(ethylene glycol), during the sol-gel reaction affected the separation performance. Since the surface charge of this material is switchable in sign upon manipulation of solution pH, the direction and magnitude of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) can be controlled by adjusting the pH of the running electrolyte. By controlling the direction of the EOF from cathode to anode, inorganic anions can be separated in a short time. Because of the quaternary ammonium functional group, the resulting material is anion exchangeable. Interestingly, the anion-exchange selectivity of inorganic anions on this column changes with solution pH or applied voltage. The column shows excellent run to run reproducibility (R.S.D. < 0.4%), good day to day reproducibility (R.S.D. < 4%), and reasonable column to column reproducibility (R.S.D. < 9%).