title: Fabrication and investigation of electrochromatographic columns with a simplex configuration.
abstract: Duplex capillary columns with a packed and an open section are widely used in electrochromatography (CEC). The duplex column configuration leads to non-uniform voltage drop, electrical field distribution and separation performance. It also adds to the complexity in understanding and optimizing electrochromatographic process. In this study, we introduced a simplex column configuration based on single particle fritting technology. The new column configuration has an essentially uniform packed bed through the entire column length, with only 1mm length left unpacked serving as the optical detection window. The study shows that a simplex column has higher separation efficiency than a duplex column, especially at the high voltage range, due to the consistent distribution of electrical field over the column length. In comparison to the duplex column, the simplex column presented a lower flow rate at the same applied voltage, suggesting that an open section may support a higher speed than a packed section. In practice, the long and short ends of the simplex column could be used as independent CEC columns respectively. This "two-in-one" bi-functional column configuration provided extra flexibilities in selecting and optimizing electrochromatographic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Qiuquan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: bozhang@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D053801:Capillary Electrochromatography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Capillary column; Column technology; Electrochromatography; Fritting technology; Liquid chromatography; Simplex column