Principles and applications of porous graphitic carbon stationary phase in liquid chromatography: An update

•The review summarizes the most significant advances in the synthesis of PGC phases.•Overview of the applicability of PGC stationary phases in different analytical fields.•Ability of PGC columns to separate isomers.•Use of high temperature to reduce total analysis time for non-polar analytes.•Involvement of PGC columns in the development of “green” analytical strategies. The introduction of carbon black particles as packaging material for liquid chromatography columns dates back to the late 70′s, in an attempt to overcome common drawbacks associated with silica-based packings. The latter consisted of the difficulty in eliminating or shielding the polar residual silanol groups, responsible for secondary interactions with non-polar ligands, but also the fragility and instability of the bonded ligands. Since then, numerous advances have been made in the synthesis of carbon-based stationary phases, achieving excellent objectives in terms of chromatographic performance and versatility, mainly related to the possibility of working under a wide range of pH (1–14) and temperature (higher than 200 °C). The purpose of this review is to summarize the most significant advances in the synthesis and application of the porous graphitic carbon phase (PGC), in the last decade. Literature reports based on the use of PGC columns are focused on the analysis of a wide range of chemicals, spanning from polar compounds to apolar polymers. More in detail, polar analytes have included both small molecules and larger biomolecules (such as oligo- and polysaccharides, peptides, and glycopeptides), with special emphasis on additional selectivity for isomer separation. On the other hand, applications devoted to the analysis of non-polar analytes could benefit from the use of high temperatures, allowing for the achievement of satisfactory separations within reduced analysis time.