Incorporation of metal-organic framework amino-modified MIL-101 into glycidyl methacrylate monoliths for nano LC separation.

Metal-organic frameworks consisting of amino-modified MIL-101(M: Cr, Al, and Fe) crystals have been synthesized and subsequently incorporated to glycidyl methacrylate monoliths to develop novel stationary phases for nano-liquid chromatography. Two incorporation approaches of these materials in monoliths were explored. The metal-organic framework materials were firstly attached to the pore surface through reaction of epoxy groups present in the parent glycidyl methacrylate-based monolith. Alternatively, NH2 -MIL-101(M) were admixed in the polymerization mixture. Using short time UV-initiated polymerization, monolithic beds with homogenously dispersed metal-organic frameworks were obtained. The chromatographic performance of embedded UV-initiated composites was demonstrated with separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as test solutes. In particular, the incorporation of the NH2 -MIL-101(Al) into the organic polymer monoliths led to an increase in the retention of all the analytes compared to the parent monolith. The hybrid monolithic columns also exhibited satisfactory run-to-run and column-to-column reproducibility.