title: Pore size characterization of monolith for electrochromatography via atomic force microscopy studies in air and liquid phase.
abstract: This paper investigates the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the characterization of monoliths used in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) while focusing on the nature of the information available from both techniques. SEM imaging revealed a compact structure of non-porous micrometer sized particles homogeneously agglomerated. With a simple AFM methodology, we found by direct observation that the same material exhibits mesopores in the nanometer range while SEM showed non-porous surfaces. These results obtained by AFM clearly showed that micrometer sized particles shrank and micrometer sized pores increased in the monolith when wetted. Thus, AFM was capable of demonstrating the morphological differences between wet and dried monolithic materials that are not possible by other imaging methods at micrometer resolution.
authors.affiliation: Concordia University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montréal, Que., Canada H4B 1R6.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bandilla
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Skinner
mesh_terms: D020374:Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary / Q000379:methods*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; C030613:polymethacrylic acid