Preparation of a boronate affinity silica stationary phase with enhanced binding properties towards cis-diol compounds

•Silica boronate affinity stationary phase with enhanced binding properties was prepared.•SI-ATRP and Wulff-type affinity ligand was combined for preparation.•It showed improved boronate binding strength and high binding capacities.•The column showed excellent binding specificity and low binding pH (≥5.5).•Selective enrichment of nucleosides in urine was performed successfully.

In this study, a boronate affinity silica stationary phase with enhanced binding properties towards cis-diol compounds was prepared through the combination of surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) with a Wulff-type boronate as affinity ligand. The stationary phase showed good hydrophilicity and improved binding strength toward adenosine, with binding constant to be as low as 2.38 × 10−4 M. The column exhibited excellent binding specificity, low binding pH (≥5.5) and high binding capacities (80.1 μmol adenosine g−1 at pH 7.0 and 45.2 μmol adenosine g−1 at pH 5.5, respectively). The stationary phase was applied as adsorbent for the selective extraction of nucleosides in human urine with excellent specificity and high enrichment efficiency. These results demonstrated that this stationary phase could be favorably applied for selective capture and enrichment of cis-diol compounds in complex samples.