Fundamental Aspects of Small Molecules and Macromolecules on Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Capillary-Channeled Polymer Fibers. (Paperback)

Stationary phases and adsorbents are continually being developed to enhance separations in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Polymeric stationary phases have gained popularity due to their ability to be employed over a large pH range and because they are more chemically robust when compared to silica based phases. Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are an alternative to traditional porous packed bed beads. These fibers have a unique geometry with increased the surface area/volume ratios when compared to cylindrical fibers. Very unique characteristics are realized in the use of the C-CP fibers, including drastically reduced backpressures and selection of solute-surface interaction through the use of different base polymers (e.g., polypropylene, polyester, and nylon). They are also non-porous, which alleviates the mass transfer limitations encountered in macromolecular separations. The C-CP fiber columns have been demonstrated to provide efficient separations of proteins under hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), reversed-phase (RP), and ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) conditions. Fundamental studies of the loading characteristics provide a better understanding of how the adsorption and subsequent separation works with the C-CP fibers. These studies will also determine the overall loading or dynamic capacity of the fiber. Frontal analysis (FA) was used to evaluate of the breakthrough curves and reveal the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the fibers. The fibers maintain kinetic stability at very high linear velocities for both the small molecules and macromolecules studied. These studies further demonstrate the applicability of the C-CP fiber as an adsorbent/stationary phase for liquid chromatography separation.