title: Nanodiamond-Decorated Silica Spheres as a Chromatographic Material.
abstract: Nanodiamond (ND) particles (∼5 nm), obtained from detonation soot, were oxidized and/or thermally hydrogenated. Both, the non-hydrogenated and hydrogenated ND particles were successfully coupled to the surface of micrometer-size organo-silica particles. A thin layer of nanodiamonds (NDs) decorating the surface of the organo-silica particles was visible on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) were used to characterize the NDs prior to coupling and to confirm attachment onto the organo-silica particles. Both, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and a chemical initiator were proved to be effective radical initiators for the ND-silica coupling reaction, although for scale-up purposes the chemical initiation was more advantageous to produce the ND-silica composite. Commercially available nanodiamond primary particles were also coupled to the surface of silica particles. The ND-containing silica particles were packed into chromatographic columns to study their initial feasibility as adsorbent material for liquid chromatography. The organo-silica particles decorated with hydrogenated NDs were shown to possess reversed phase type (i.e., hydrophobic) behavior toward the probe compounds, whereas silica particles decorated with the non-hydrogenated NDs showed polar (i.e., hydrophilic) interactions, both under liquid chromatographic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Natural Sciences Complex, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States.
authors.forename: Zuqin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Natural Sciences Complex, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vinci
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Natural Sciences Complex, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Colón
keywords: HPLC; detonation nanodiamonds; hydrogenation; organosilica; primary nanoparticles; stationary phase; surface modification