Analytical Sciences

New Support for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Based on Silica Coated with Alumina Particles

José Leandro R. SILVEIRA, Samia R. DIB, and Anizio M. FARIA

Grupo de Pesquisas em Cromatografia, Química/FACIP, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Ituiutaba 38304-402, Brazil

A new material based on silica coated with alumina nanoparticles was proposed for use as a chromatographic support for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Alumina nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol-gel process in reversed micelles composed of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate, and the support material was formed by the self-assembly of alumina layers on silica spheres. Spectroscopic and ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance results showed evidence of chemical bonds between the alumina nanoparticles and the silica spheres, while morphological characterizations showed that the aluminized silica maintained the morphological properties of silica desired for chromatographic purposes after alumina incorporation. Stability studies indicated that bare silica showed high dissolution (∼83%), while the aluminized silica remained practically unchanged (99%) after passing one liter of the alkaline mobile phase, indicating high stability under alkaline conditions. The C₁₈ bonded aluminized silica phase showed great potential for use in high-performance liquid chromatography to separate basic molecules in the reversed-phase mode.

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