Evaluation of Polymer Self-Coating on Aluminized Silica Support as Stationary Phase for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

The physical adsorption of a polymer, poly(3,3,3-trifluoropropylmethylsiloxane), on aluminized silica particles, without any additional procedure for polymer immobilization, was studied for 180 days to evaluate the new chromatographic support. Morphological, structural, and chromatographic evaluations of the stationary phase were assessed. After the 15th day of adsorption, a sufficient polymer amount adsorbs onto the aluminized silica particles to separate mixtures of compounds in reversed-phase mode. However, after the 60th day, the polymer layer adhesion occurs more strongly, self-coating the aluminized silica particles. The self-coated stationary phases after 60 days showed similar chromatographic profiles with low hydrophobicity and more interactions with polar compounds, characteristics arising from the fluorinated polymer. The aluminized silica support firmly adhered to the polymer layer, resulting in a separation material chemically stable at alkaline conditions, suggesting a surface reactivity like other well-established supports without asymmetrical peaks for polar compounds.