Preparation and characterization of novel poly(vinyl ester resin) monoliths

We introduced a new monolithic column for HPLC. The monolithic column was prepared using vinyl ester resin not only as the monomer but also as the crosslinking agent based. The main factors affecting the porous structure of vinyl ester (VE) resin monolithic columns were investigated. By varying the porogen solvent and the amount of initiator, different porous structure could be obtained. In order to evaluate the mechanical stability of the column material, the pressure drop across the column was measured in different flow-rates. The pressure drop was a linear function of flow rate and the regression factor R was 0.9994, indicating a laminar flow regime. Moreover, the load of hydroxyl groups – the active group of the monolithic column was investigated. The average loading was 10.4 mmol g−1. Moreover, other characteristics, such as IR and HPLC-MS was used as the detection for the structure of the monomer, a mercury porosimeter and thermal analysis measurements were used to determine pore size distribution and thermal properties of the monolith, respectively. Finally, using phenol, resorcinol and catechol as the test compounds, a normal-phase character of the VE resin monolith was evident.