Polymeric stationary phase silane polymerization

Chemical surface modifications The first surface modification for the purpose of eliminating EOF and protein adsorption was recommended by Hjerten.28 The attachment of vinyl silanes allowed the polymerization of a variety of molecules to the surface. Most of the chemical modifications used for preparing capillaries for electrophoresis originated from the experience acquired over the years preparing GC and LC stationary phases. Chemical modification should conform to certain requirements, including the prevention of adsorption, the provision of stable and constant EOF over a wide pH range, chemical stability, ease of preparation, and reproduciblity of preparation. The effects of silanization of the inner surface of capillaries on electrophoretic separations have been extensively studied.26-29... 

Another approach to preparing a stable reversed phase with fewer residual silanols is the use of polyfunctional silanes of the type R2SiX2. These react to form a polymeric stationary phase that shields the siloxane bonds and restricts access to residual silanols. Polymer phases have higher carbon loads and are typically more retentive than monomeric phases. However, they are more difficult to synthesize reproducibly and may exhibit batch-to-batch variability in their properties. They also exhibit poorer mass transfer kinetics and so provide poorer efficiency than monomeric phases. 

Sander et al. [63] investigated the effect of microparticulate silica pore size on the properties of solution-polymerized Cig stationary phases and observed both an increase in bonding density and shape recognition for wider pore (>120 A) silica. A size-exclusion mechanism was proposed, in which the reaction of the silane polymer on the surface is enhanced for wide pores and reduced for narrow pores. Polymeric Ci8 phases prepared on substrates with narrow pores exhibited monomeric-like chromatographic properties. This effect may be the result of an increase in competitive surface linkage with the less sterically hindered monomers that coexist with the bulkier oligomers that have polymerized in the reaction solution (Figure 5.13). 

Wirth, M.J. and Fatunmbi, H.O., Horizontal polymerization of mixed trifunctional silanes on silica—a potential chromatographic stationary-phase. Anal. Chem., 64, 2783, 1992. 

One disadvantage of all silica-based stationary phases is their instability against hydrolysis. At neutral pH and room temperature the saturation concentration of silicate in water amounts to lOOppm. Solubility increases with surface area, decreasing particle diameter drastically with pH above 7.5. This leads also to a reduction of the carbon content. Hydrolysis can be recognized during the use of columns by a loss in efficiency and/or loss of retention. Bulky silanes [32], polymer coating [33], or polymeric encapsulation [34] have been used in the preparation of bonded phases to reduce hydrolytic instability, but most of the RPs in use are prepared in the classical way, by surface silanization. Figure 2.3 schematically shows these different types of stationary phases. 

Stationary phases with a high density of bonded alkyl groups can differentiate between two molecules of identical size where one is planar and the other twisted out of plane. This shape selectivity has been described by Sander and Wise [53] for polymeric stationary phases, where in the preparation, water has been added on purpose and trichloro alkyl silanes have been used. The selectivity for the retention of tetrabenzonaphthalene (TEN) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was taken as a measure to differentiate between polymeric and standard RP columns. With standard ( monomeric ) RP columns, the twisted TBN elutes after the planar BaP, which on the other hand is more strongly retarded as TBN on polymeric stationary phases. In these cases the relative retention of TBN/ BaP is smaller than 1, whereas with monomeric phases the value is >1.5. The separation of the standards on three different phases is shown in Figure 2.9. These stationary phases have superior selectivity for the separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in environmental analysis. Tanaka et al. [54] introduced the relative retention of triphenylene (planar) and o-terphenyl (twisted), which are more easily available, as tracers for shape selectivity. However, shape selectivity is not restricted to polymeric phases, monomeric ones can also exhibit shape selectivity when a high carbon content is achieved (e.g., with RP30) and silica with a pore diameter >15 nm is used [55]. Also, stationary phases with bonded cholestane moieties can exhibit shape selectivity. 

Apolar stationary phases suffer from hydrolytic instability at pH extremes. The use of mixed phases of long (Cg, Clg) and short (C, C3) chain alkyls produces stationary phases with increased hydrolytic stability.7,8 Crowding of the long alkyl chains does not allow the alkylsilane molecules to deposit in close packing on a smooth or flat surface. Silane molecules polymerize in vertical direction, loosing contact with the silica surface. The insertion of short chain alkyls allows horizontal polymerization of the silane molecules. Thus, alkyl chains are aligned in a parallel way. The stability of the silane layer is increased consequently (figure 8.1). 

For the preparation of capillary columns for gas chromatography, the fused silica column wall is deactivated using polysiloxanes, and modified with a suitable stationary phase. Hetem19 discussed the use of polymethylhydrosiloxanes (PMHS) for deactivation and subsequent coating with a polymerized C18-type silane for stationary phase formation. Stationary phases used in packed GC are analogous to HPLC. 

Monofunctional silane reagents yield efficient stationary phases with flexible furlike or brushlike structure of the chains bonded on the silica surface. When bifunctional or trifunctional silanes are used for modification, Cl or alkoxy groups are introduced into the stationary phase, which are subject to hydrolysis and react with excess molecules of reagents to form a polymerized spongelike bonded phase structure. Stationary phases prepared in that way usually show stronger retention but lower separation efficiency (plate number) than mono-merically bonded stationary phases. 

Nevertheless, although the solution to the problem of chiral separations by GC was apparent, a thermally stable stationary phase was still not developed for over a decade. It was not until 1977 that Frank, Nicholson and Bayer [6] produced a chiral stationary phase by the co-polymerization of dimethylsiloxane with (2-carboxypropyl)methoxy-silane and L-valine- butylamide which proved to be far more thermally stable than those of Gil-Av. Frank et al. showed that by using polysiloxanes, the separation of most amino acids could be carried out in a much reduced analysis time. The polysiloxane phases had a much lower volatility and higher stability than previous chiral stationary phases and could be used up to temperatures of 175 °C. It is clear that the shorter retention times were directly a result of the separation being carried out at a much higher temperature which, in turn, was due to the greater thermal stability of the polysiloxane phases. 

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