Hypercross-linked polystyrene and its potentials for liquid chromatography: a mini-review

Hypercross-linked polymeric adsorbing materials are obtained under conditions that (i) their polymeric network is formed in the presence of large amounts of a thermodynamically good solvent (porogen) and (ii) the network is rigid. Hypercross-linked polystyrene is a transparent microporous low-density material with an apparent inner surface area of over 1000 m2/g and an unprecedented adsorption capacity. To enhance the mass transfer, the adsorbent beads may be provided with large transport pores, in addition to the inherent micropores; these beads are opaque. Hypercross-linked polystyrene sorbents are widely used for large scale adsorption of organic compounds from aqueous and gaseous media and for solid-phase extraction of trace components. Novel perspective application areas of the materials are high-performance liquid chromatography column packings and blood purification. Present mini-review summarises basic principles of obtaining hypercross-linked materials, their structural peculiarities and distinguishing properties, as well as major application areas. Important new unpublished data are also included.