Fabrication of an ionic liquid-based macroporous polymer monolithic column via atom transfer radical polymerization for the separation of small molecules.

A polymer monolithic column was prepared in a stainless steel column (50×4.6mm i.d.) via atom transfer radical polymerization technique using triallyl isocyanurate and ionic liquid (1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) as co-monomers, ethylene dimethacrylate as cross linking agent, polyethylene glycol 200, 1,4-butanediol, and N, N- dimethylformamide as porogen system, CCl4 as initiator, and FeCl2 as catalyst. The optimized polymer columns were characterized by scanning electron microscope, nitrogen adsorption-desorption instrument, mercury intrusion porosimetry, infrared spectrometer, and thermogravimetric analysis technique. Respectively, all of these factors above could illustrate that the optimized columns had relative uniform macroporous structure and high thermal stability. A series of basic and acidic small molecules, isomers, and homologues were used to evaluate the performance of these monoliths and enhanced column efficiency was obtained.