Super-resolution imaging reveals resistance to mass transfer in functionalized stationary phases.

ABSTRACT: Chemical separations are costly in terms of energy, time, and money. Separation methods are optimized with inefficient trial-and-error approaches that lack insight into the molecular dynamics that lead to the success or failure of a separation and, hence, ways to improve the process. We perform super-resolution imaging of fluorescent analytes in five different commercial liquid chromatography materials. Unexpectedly, we observe that chemical functionalization can block more than 50% of the material's porous interior, rendering it inaccessible to small-molecule analytes. Only in situ imaging unveils the inaccessibility when compared to the industry-accepted ex situ characterization methods. Selectively removing some of the functionalization with solvent restores pore access without substant

SUBMITTER: Monge Neria R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11827638 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature