Adsorbent media for liquid phase separations

Professor Luis A. Colon of SUNY at Buffalo is supported by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program in the Division of Chemistry to develop chromatographic separation media based on detonation nanodiamond (ND) material. NDs with a uniform particle size of 4-5 nm will be linked to the surface of monodispersed silica solid supports. The physicochemical properties of the resulting ND-silica material will be investigated with a battery of instrumental analysis techniques, including IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, gas adsorption analysis and ESCA. The adsorptive characteristics of these relatively unexplored chromatographic separation media will be evaluated for applications in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). There is a growing interest in the development of ND-based separation media because of the excellent chemical and thermal stability of NDs, which make them appealing from the stand point of chromatography. The proposed research will lead to efficient chromatographic ND-based separation media and will open up possibilities for their use in specific practical applications. HPLC, CE and CEC are indispensable analytical tools that facilitate advances in the chemical, biological, and relate sciences. The project will contribute to the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students, including members of traditionally underrepresented groups, in the synthesis and characterization of novel separation media and in chromatography and other analytical separations technologies.