Study of surface-bonded dicationic ionic liquids as stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction chromatography

•Several surface-bonded dicationic ion liquid stationary phases were prepared.•They exhibit typical HILIC retention behavior with ideal chromatographic performance.•The column efficiency could reach as high as 130,000 theoretical plates/m.•The stationary phases displayed HILIC/anion-exchange mix-mode retention mechanism. In the present study, several geminal dicationic ionic liquids based on 1,4-bis(3-allylimidazolium)butane and 1,8-bis(3-allylimidazolium)octane in combination with different anions bromide and bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl)imide were prepared and then bonded to the surface of 3-mercaptopropyl modified silica materials through the “thiol-ene” click chemistry as stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Compared with their monocationic analogues, the dicationic ionic liquids stationary phases presented effective retention and good selectivity for typical hydrophilic compounds under HILIC mode with the column efficiency as high as 130,000 plates/m. Moreover, the influence of different alkyl chain spacer between dications and combined anions on the retention behavior and selectivity of the dicationic ionic liquids stationary phases under HILIC mode was displayed. The results indicated that the longer linkage chain would decrease the hydrophilicity and retention on the dicationic ionic liquid stationary phase, and while differently combined anions had no difference due to the exchangeability under the common HILIC mobile phase with buffer salt. Finally, the retention mechanism was investigated by evaluating the effect of chromatographic factors on retention, including the water content in the mobile phase, the mobile phase pH and buffer salt concentration. The results showed that the dicationic ionic liquids stationary phases presented a mixed-mode retention behavior with HILIC mechanism and anion exchange.