Preparation and application of novel zwitterionic monolithic column for hydrophilic interaction chromatography

A novel zwitterionic hydrophilic porous monolithic stationary phase was prepared based on the thermal-initiated copolymerization of N, N-dimethyl-N-(3-methacryl-amidopropyl)-N-(3-(sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. A typical hydrophilic separation mechanism was observed at a highly organic mobile phase (ACN >60%) on this optimized zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) monolithic stationary phase. Good permeability, stability, and column efficiency were observed on the final monolithic column. Additionally, a weak electrostatic interaction for charged analytes was confirmed in analysis of six benzoic acids by studying the influence of mobile phase pH and salt concentration on their retention behaviors on the obtained zwitterionic HILIC monolithic column. The optimized zwitterionic HILIC monolith exhibited good selectivity for a range of polar test analytes.