A protocol for fabrication of polymer monolithic capillary columns and tuning the morphology targeting high-resolution bioanalysis in gradient-elution liquid chromatography

Polymer monolithic stationary phases are designed as a continuous interconnected globular material perfused by macropores. Like packed column, where separation efficiency is related to particle diameter, the efficiency of monoliths can be enhanced by tuning the size of both the microglobules and macropores. This protocol described the synthesis of poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolithic stationary phases in capillary column formats. Moreover, guidelines are provided to tune the macropore structure targeting high-throughput and high-resolution monolith chromatography. The versatility of these columns is exemplified by their ability to separate tryptic digests, intact proteins, and oligonucleotides under a variety of chromatographic conditions. The repeatability of the presented column fabrication process is demonstrated by the successful creation of 12 columns in three different column batches, as evidenced by the consistency of retention times (coefficients of variance [c.v.] = 0.9%), peak widths (c.v. = 4.7%), and column pressures (c.v. = 3.1%) across the batches.

On the road towards highly efficient and large volume three-dimensional-printed liquid chromatography columns ?

The current performance of commercially packed LC columns is limited by the random structure of the packed bed and by the wall-to-center heterogeneity of its structure. The minimum reduced plate heights observed are not smaller than 1.4 whereas they could theoretically be as low as 0.1 for dense and perfectly ordered packings of spheres. To bridge this gap, a wide inner diameter column with an ordered macroporous structure is printed in three dimensions by stereolithography of poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate) resin. Feature sizes below 100 μm are achieved by combining conventional polymer stereolithography with photolithography using photomasks. A layer-by-layer polymerization is performed by alternating two distinct photomasks having horizontally and vertically oriented patterns. Despite the inevitable printing imperfections, minimum reduced plate heights around unity are measured for non-retained analytes. The next challenges for the successful printing of highly efficient and large volume LC columns are threefold: reducing the feature size down to below 10 μm, keeping minimum the unevenness of the flow channel dimensions, and tackling additive manufacturing of silica aerogels at such small feature sizes for higher mechanical stability and broader range of retention/selectivity than those delivered by polymer materials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Curtain Flow Column: Optimization of Efficiency and Sensitivity

Active Flow Technology (AFT) is a form of column technology that increases the separation performance of a HPLC column through the use of a specially purpose built multiport end-fitting(s). Curtain Flow (CF) columns belong to the AFT suite of columns, specifically the CF column is designed so that the sample is injected into the radial central region of the bed and a curtain flow of mobile phase surrounding the injection of solute prevents the radial dispersion of the sample to the wall. The column functions as an 'infinite diameter' column. The purpose of the design is to overcome the radial heterogeneity of the column bed, and at the same time maximize the sample load into the radial central region of the column bed, which serves to increase detection sensitivity. The protocol described herein outlines the system and CF column set up and the tuning process for an optimized infinite diameter 'virtual' column.

CEC separation of peptides using a poly(hexyl acrylate-co-1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride) monolithic column

A polyacrylate-based monolithic column bearing cationic functionalities and designed for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has been prepared via photopolymerization of a mixture of hexyl acrylate, butanediol diacrylate, 2-(acryloyloxy) ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (monomers), azobisisobutyronitrile (photoinitiator), acetonitrile, phosphate buffer, and ethanol (porogens). The polymerization process was initiated with UV light at 360 nm. The column performance was evaluated via the separations of alkylbenzenes, substituted anilines, basic drugs, peptides, and a protein digest. The separation of complex peptide mixtures was then studied since such separations constitute a promising application of capillary electrochromatography. In particular, the effects of mobile phase composition, including ionic strength of the buffer solution and the percentage of acetonitrile on the retention factor, the column efficiency, and the resolution were determined. The separations were affected by both interaction of the peptides with the stationary phase and their own electrophoretic mobility. Excellent separations with column efficiencies of up to 160 000 plates/m were achieved for both a mixture of ten well-defined peptides and a tryptic digest of cytochrome c. The fractions of eluent containing peptides of the digest separated in the monolithic column were collected and characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry.

Stability and repeatability of capillary columns based on porous monoliths of poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate)

Monolithic poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) capillary columns have been prepared via either thermally or photochemically initiated polymerization of the corresponding monomers and the repeatability of their preparation has been explored. Three separate batches of 5 columns each were prepared using thermal and photochemical initiation for a total of 30 columns. All 30 capillary columns were tested in liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry mode for the separation of a model mixture of three proteins--ribonuclease A, cytochrome c and myoglobin. Excellent repeatability of retention times was observed for the proteins as evidenced by relative standard deviation (RSD) values of less than 1.5%. Somewhat broader variations with RSD values of up to 10% were observed for the pressure drop in the columns. The stability of retention times was also monitored using a single monolithic column and no significant shifts in either retention times or back pressure was observed in a series of almost 2200 consecutive protein separations.