Recent Advances of Polymer Monolithic Columns Functionalized with Micro/Nanomaterials: Synthesis and Application

The field of separation science has recently witnessed an explosion of interest and progress in the design and study of porous polymer monolithic materials. Monolithic columns with their unique structure possess some exceptional characteristics, which make them an excellent tool in the hands of analytical chemists, not only for separation but also for sample pretreatment. As a new member of the polymer monolith family, the micro/nanomaterial-functionalized polymer monolith has attracted considerable attention due to its many distinct characteristics, such as high permeability and selectively tailored surface chemistries. It exhibits great potential in separation science and analytical sample preparation. This review summarizes and highlights recent major advances of the micro/nanomaterial-functionalized polymer monolith, focusing on design considerations and the application of separation and enrichment. A brief overview of the properties of polymer monolithic columns is included, and then specific attention is paid to discuss the methods of fabrication and application of the micro/nanomaterial-functionalized polymer monolith in separation, sample pretreatment and enrichment, and highly sensitive detection. Finally, future possible research directions and challenges in the field are discussed.