posted on 2023-05-19, 09:47authored byKhodabandeh, A, Arrua, RD, Mansour, FR, Stuart ThickettStuart Thickett, Hilder, EF
Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions (PolyHIPEs) were prepared using emulsion-templating, stabilized by an amphiphilic diblock copolymer prepared by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The diblock copolymer consisted of a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEO MA, average Mn 480) segment and a hydrophobic styrene segment, with a trithiocarbonate end-group. These diblock copolymers were the sole emulsifiers used in stabilizing “inverse” (oil-in-water) high internal phase emulsion templates, which upon polymerization resulted in a polyHIPE exhibiting a highly interconnected monolithic structure. The polyHIPEs were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, BET surface area measurements, SEM, SEM-EDX, and TGA. These materials were subsequently investigated as stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) via in situ polymerization in a capillary format as a ‘column housing’. Initial separation assessments in reversed-phase (RP) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatographic (HILIC) modes have shown that these polyHIPEs are decorated with different microenvironments amongst the voids or domains of the monolithic structure. Chromatographic results suggested the existence of RP/HILIC mixed mode with promising performance for the separation of small molecules.
History
Publication title
Scientific Reports
Volume
7
Article number
7847
Number
7847
Pagination
1-13
ISSN
2045-2322
Department/School
School of Natural Sciences
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Rights statement
Copyright 2017 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/