Spherical MSU-1 Mesoporous Silica Particles Tuned for HPLC

Among the mesoporous silica micellar templated structures (MTSs), MSU‐X silica, obtained through an N0I0 assembly between non‐ionic polyethyleneoxide‐based surfactants (N0) and silica neutral inorganic precursors (I0), exhibits a regular ordered structure with a 3D wormhole porous framework and an easily controlled pore size. These materials have been tested for applications requiring both a narrow mesopore size distribution and isotropic properties. A specific double‐step synthesis that we developed recently for MSU‐X materials has allowed us to prepare mesoporous silica particles with the required shape, size, and properties. Both the particles’ synthesis and comparative HPLC separation tests with a commercial ungrafted silica HPLC powder of identical shape and size are reported. The high surface area and low pore size of MSU‐1 silica are of advantage for high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) applications. Employing MSU‐1 as the stationary phase rather than the silica particles normally used, very high resolution between the elution peaks is observed, even between almost identical solutes such as biphenyl and naphthalene (see Figure: dashed line is raw MSU‐1 powder, solid line is the same material after ultrasonication).