Polyoxometalate incorporated porous polymer monoliths, a versatile separation media for nano liquid chromatography

Here in, we present a strategy to incorporate NBu4SiW11O39(SiCHCH2)2, an organic-modified polyoxometalates (POM) monomer, into the monolithic poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) capillary columns. SEM analysis and permeability test indicated that the addition of POM lead to larger skeleton size and better permeability. BET and pore size distribution test confirmed the uniform porosity of the resulting POM incorporated monoliths. Hydrophobic, strong cation-exchange and H-bond interactions of the prepared monolith were evaluated by testing a series of chromatographic probes. The performance of monolith was further elaborated by separating 5 nucleobases, and 6 neurotransmitters. Chromatographic separation results showed that POM incorporated monolith exhibited much better resolution for the analytes as compared to the monolith without POM. This type of monolithic material has been reported for the first time and the work provided a promising way for preparation and application of various POM-incorporated monolithic materials in separation science.