Monoliths: Synthetic routes, functionalization and innovative analytical applications

Monolithic materials stand out in separation sciences because of their tunable properties, easy preparation, high permeability, and readily available surface chemistries. The number of analytical applications of monoliths has increased in recent decades, including innovations in sample preparation, chromatography and, more recently, in flow analysis. This review covers these innovative applications, beyond their conventional exploitation in liquid-phase separations. New configurations for sample preparation exploiting monoliths as extraction materials, as well as the recent approaches for the synthesis and the functionalization of inorganic, organic, and hybrid organic-inorganic monolithic materials are also discussed. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.