Preparation of UiO-66 MOF-Bonded Porous-Layer Open-Tubular Columns Using an In Situ Growth Approach for Gas Chromatography

oleh: Khadejah D. Otaif, Ahmed-Yacine Badjah-Hadj-Ahmed, Zeid Abdullah ALOthman

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-05-01

Deskripsi

The thermally stable zirconium-based MOF, UiO-66, was employed for the preparation of bonded porous-layer open-tubular (PLOT) GC columns. The synthesis included the in situ growth of the UiO-66 film on the inner wall of the capillary through a one-step solvothermal procedure. SEM–EDX analysis revealed the formation of a thin, continuous, uniform, and compact layer of UiO-66 polycrystals on the functionalized inner wall of the column. The average polarity (Δ<i>I</i><sub>av</sub> = 700) and the McReynolds constants reflected the polar nature of the UiO-66 stationary phase. Several mixtures of small organic compounds and real samples were used to evaluate the separation performance of the fabricated columns. Linear alkanes from <i>n</i>-pentane to <i>n</i>-decane were baseline separated within 1.35 min. Also, a series of six <i>n</i>-alkylbenzenes (C<sub>3</sub>–C<sub>8</sub>) were separated within 3 min with a minimum resolution of 3.09, whereas monohalobenzene mixtures were separated at 220 °C within 14s. UiO-66 PLOT columns are ideally suited for the isothermal separation of chlorobenzene structural isomers at 210 °C within 45 s with R<sub>s</sub> ≥ 1.37. The prepared column featured outstanding thermal stability (up to 450 °C) without any observed bleeding or significant impact on its performance. This feature enabled the analysis of various petroleum-based samples.