Silica-Based Hybrid Media for Chromatographic Applications

This award to Professor Luis Colon of the SUNY at Buffalo is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division. The proposed investigations are focused on the synthesis and characterization of silica-based organic-inorganic hybrid materials for use in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The silica hybrids will be synthesized by copolymerizing alkoxysilanes with hydrolyzable alkoxide groups. This approach results in the production of chromatographic materials in different formats (i.e., films, monoliths, and particles), some with the potential for stability over a wide pH range. The solution chemistry will be monitored with NMR; the physicochemical characteristics of the organic-inorganic hybrids will be assessed using ESCA, SIMS, FTIR, SEM and/or TEM, microbalance gravimetric analysis, and nitrogen gas adsorption methods. The proposed investigations are directed toward the synthesis and characterization of silica glasses. Different formats of the material will be synthesized, suitable for chemical separations. The different parameters used during the fabrication process will be studied to establish the reaction conditions leading to materials with the best performance. The characteristics and compositions of the synthesized glasses will be assessed using a variety of spectroscopic and physical probes. Fabricated materials such as these have potential applications to the separation and purification of a large number of chemicals, ranging from pharmaceutical to environmental areas. These investigations are part of a long-term research program focused on the development and study of new and improved materials for chemical separations in the liquid phase. The research program mainly involves graduate and undergraduate in executing the experimentation, contributing to the education, development, and training of a new generation of scientists.