Capillary Electrochromatography Based On Graphene And Graphene Derivatives

Capillary electrochromatography(CEC) is an emerging and promising technique, whichcombines the high selectivity of HPLC and the high efficiency of CE, and has shown greatpotential for analyzing complex solute mixtures. Graphene oxide(GO),or its reducedform(GOOH) is a single layer sheet of sp2hybridized carbon atoms with a giant aromaticmacromolecule containing functional groups such as hydroxyl, carboxylic acid and epoxideon their basal planes and edges which make them more selective. Owing to its uniquephysicochemical properties such as remarkable thermal and chemical stability, specificsurface area, strong-electrostatic stacking property, hydrophobic interaction and hydrogenbond make them promising candidates as stationary phase material for chromatographicseparation, for example, CEC. Here, the GO and GOOH sheets as novel stationary phases forCEC separation based on electrostatic assembly were explored. The chromatographicproperties of the GO and GOOH coated columns were evaluated via CEC separation ofvarious kinds of analytes, including three acid nitrophenol isomers, three basic nitroanilineisomers, and four neutral PAHs. Efficient separations of all the analytes were achieved withoptimized conditions. The separation mechanisms for different analytes on the differentcolumns were discussed. In addition, the advanced application of new materials includinggraphene and its derivatives, metal-organic frameworks, polymeric ionic liquids andfullerenes in the field of chromatography separation was reviewed.