Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of divinylbenzene-coated spherical nonporous silica

Monodisperse nonporous silica particles were coated with different amounts of a divinylbenzene-based polymer resulting in a new class of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic material. An optimization of the polymer layer, with respect to the thickness, was performed to obtain optimal surface properties of the chromatographic sorbent. The materials were characterized using solid-state C-13 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, thermogravinietry analysis, BET surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The application of the new materials in reversed-phase HPLC revealed extremely short separation times while maintaining a high chromatographic resolution.