Synthesis of micron diameter polybutadiene-encapsulated non-porous zirconia particles for ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography

In this study, 1-μm diameter polybutadiene-encapsulated non-porous zirconia particles were synthesized, slurry packed into 50-μm I.D. fused-silica capillary columns, and evaluated using ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography. The dependencies of column efficiency and solute retention factor on pressure were investigated. Efficiencies as high as 280 000 plates per meter were obtained for the separation of anti-inflammatory drugs at a pressure of 1351 MPa. Comparing the reversed-phase behavior of the polybutadiene-encapsulated non-porous zirconia with octadecylsilane bonded non-porous silica, greater selectivity was found using the zirconia-based material for the applications reported in this study. The encapsulated non-porous zirconia particles demonstrated excellent thermal stability in the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a temperature of 100 °C and a pressure of 1351 MPa.