Click polymerization for preparation of monolithic columns for liquid chromatography

In recent years, polymerizations based on click reactions (thiol-ene, thiol-yne, thiol-Michael, thiol-epoxy and amine-epoxy) have been utilized to prepare monolithic columns. These polymerization systems are easily carried out under mild conditions. Either hybrid or organic monolithic columns fabricated by click polymerization demonstrated homogeneous network structures. For separation of small molecules, the column efficiencies, such as plate height with less than 10 µm, have been greatly improved comparing with organic monolithic columns prepared with free radical polymerization. In this review, we will summarize recent progress on the preparation of monolithic columns and their chromatographic performances.