Size exclusion chromatography with superficially porous particles

Area of Science:

• Chromatography
• Polymer Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a key technique for polymer analysis.
• Traditionally, fully porous particles (FPPs) with larger pore volumes were favored for SEC.
• Superficially porous particles (SPPs) offer potential kinetic advantages in chromatography.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of FPPs and SPPs in SEC for synthetic polymers.
• To evaluate if SPPs' kinetic advantages can offset their lower pore volume in SEC.
• To assess the suitability of SPPs for faster SEC separations and multidimensional chromatography.

Main Methods:

• Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was performed using standard HPLC equipment.
• Polystyrene molecular weight standards and tetrahydrofuran mobile phase were used.
• FPPs and SPPs with similar particle diameters and pore sizes were compared at equal flow rates.

Main Results:

• SPPs exhibited smaller elution ranges and higher plate counts compared to FPPs.
• The rate of production of theoretical plates was greater for SPPs.
• While FPPs showed higher specific resolution, SPPs offered comparable peak capacities at faster operational speeds.

Conclusions:

• SPPs provide kinetic advantages in SEC, enabling faster separations than FPPs.
• SEC using SPPs can achieve similar separation efficiencies with reduced run times.
• SPPs are advantageous for applications like two-dimensional liquid chromatography and biomolecule analysis.