Microfluidic HPLC-Chip devices with integral channels containing methylstyrenic-based monolithic media

Polyimide HPLC-Chip devices containing poly(methylstyrene-bis-p-vinylphenyl)ethane (MS/BVPE) stationary phase within the device channels and with wall attachment were prepared by thermally initiated free radical polymerization. The microfluidic devices were coupled to both UV and MS detectors. The potential of the MS/BVPE monolith as an alternative separation media within chip devices was investigated by side-by-side comparisons to particulate media within commercial devices. The chromatographic behavior of this stationary phase was comparable to particulate media for separations of proteins as the average peak width at half-height was equal (6.2 s) for a separation within 8 min under gradient elution conditions. The ability to control the porosity characteristics of the MS/BVPE monolith with changes in polymerization time also extended its utility into small analyte (< 500 Da) applications, although more optimization is needed to match conventional RP media for these applications. The good mechanical stability of the MS/BVPE monolith within the microdevices enabled excellent run-to-run repeatability (%RSD retention time (< or = 0.16) and chip-to-chip reproducibility (%RSD retention time (1.4). The use of this material within enrichment channels also shows its potential value in more complex work flows.