PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EPOXY-BASED MONOLITHIC SORBENTS FOR CHROMATOGRAPHY

Abstract: This ‘scouting’ work aimed to investigate the possibility of using non-aromatic monomers to prepare porous monolithic materials by utilizing varying compositions under spinodal decomposition and step polymerization. 1,3,5-Triglycidyl isocyanurate (TEPIC) was employed as a main molecular structural scaffold. Factors such as stepwise curing temperature and ratios of monomers and solvents have been explored by multi-variate experimental design and analysis. For the material characterization, specific sur-face area analysis (by the BET method) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to determine the monolith’s total surface areas, monolith morphologies, and skele-ton structures. The most promising material (NEM-15), having a specific surface area of 2.8 m2/g and 3-D skeleton, was in situ synthesized in capillary columns (I.D. 25, 50, 75, and 100 μm) for further chromatographic evaluation.