High-temperature solvent stability of sol-gel germania triblock polymer coatings in capillary microextraction on-line...

Germania-based sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid coatings were prepared for on-line coupling of capillary microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography. For this, a germania-based sol-gel precursor, tetra-n-butoxygermane and a hydroxy-terminated triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) were used. These sol-gel germania triblock polymer coatings were chemically anchored to the inner walls of a fused silica capillary (0.25 mm I.D.) in course of its evolution from the sol solution. Scanning electron microscopy images of the sol-gel germania triblock polymer coating were obtained to estimate the coating thickness. For the first time, the analyte distribution constants between a sol-gel germania organic-inorganic hybrid coating and the samples (K(cs)) were determined. For a variety of analytes from different chemical classes, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ketones, alcohols, phenols and amines, the K(cs) values ranged from 8.1 x 10(1) to 5.6 x 10(4). Also, for the first time, the stability of the sol-gel germania-based coating in high-temperature reversed-phase solvent environment was evaluated. The sol-gel germania triblock polymer coatings were capable of surviving exposure to high-temperature solvent conditions (200 degrees C) with little change in extraction capabilities. This demonstrates that sol-gel germania triblock polymer hybrid materials might be suitable for further applications in high-temperature HPLC. The reproducibility of the method for preparation of the sol-gel germania triblock polymer coatings was also evaluated, and the capillary-to-capillary RSD values ranged from 5.3 to 6.5%. The use of higher flow rates in extraction was found to significantly reduce the time required (from 30-40 to 10-15 min) to reach equilibrium between the sol-gel germania triblock polymer coating and the analytes in the sample solution.