Organic polymer monolithic columns with incorporated bare and cyano-modified fumed silica nanoparticles for use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

This research article presents the preparation and characterization of monolithic columns with incorporated bare fumed silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) and cyano-modified FNSPs (CN-FSNPs) and their subsequent use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) of neutral, polar, and low molecular weight solutes. The monolithic support was based on the in situ polymerization of glyceryl monomethacrylate (GMM) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) yielding the poly(GMM-co-EDMA) monolith for the incorporation of bare FNSPs and of CN-FSNPs. The poly(GMM-co-EDMA) functioned as a “true support” for bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs “stationary phases” as manifested by bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs being the major contributors to solute retention and column selectivity. Overall, the prepared bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs stationary phases proved useful in HILIC of small polar solutes including dimethylformamide, formamide, thiourea, nucleobases, nucleosides, organic acids, food additives, vitamins, and biological amines.