Establishment of Preparation Conditions for Silica Monolithic Rods Using the Sol-Gel Method and a Study on Their Characteristics

Silica monolithic rods are inorganic materials used as packing materials in monolithic separation columns, a global trend in material separation, particularly in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Unlike the previously widely used separation columns with spherical silica packing, these monolithic columns suffer from various problems, including shrinkage, deformation, and cracking during the preparation of rods, limiting their application. This paper describes the development of a new type of silica monolithic rod that can significantly shorten analysis time while maintaining high separation efficiency in HPLC.