One-step preparation of zirconia coated silica microspheres and modification with d-fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate as stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction chromatography

- One-step surfactant-free synthesis of ZrO2/SiO2 microspheres is proposed.
- d-Fructose modified ZrO2/SiO2 is useful stationary phase for HILIC.
- The new stationary phase can separate polar biomolecules with high efficiency.

In this study, ZrO2 layer coated silica microspheres (ZrO2/SiO2) were successfully prepared by a facile one-step surfactant-free hydrothermal route under low pH condition. The synthesized ZrO2/SiO2 material was then modified with d-fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate (FDP) to improve the chromatographic separation property of the material. Fused-silica capillary columns were prepared with the modified material for evaluation. Phenolic, nucleobases and alkaloids compounds in hydrophilic interaction chromatographic (HILIC) mode showed symmetrical peaks. The FDP-ZrO2/SiO2 stationary phase showed better performance than ZrO2/SiO2 packing material and demonstrated great potential for application in HILIC mode.