Review of recent advances in the preparation of organic polymer monoliths for liquid chromatography of large molecules

In recent years the use of monolithic polymers in separation science has greatly increased due to the advantages these materials present over particle-based stationary phases, such as their relative ease of preparation and good permeability. For these reasons, these materials present high potential as stationary phases for the separation and purification of large molecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and cells. An example of this is the wide range of commercial available polymer-based monolithic columns now present in the market. This review summarizes recent developments in the synthesis of monolithic polymers for separation science, such as the incorporation of nanostructures in the polymeric scaffold as well as the preparation of hybrid structures. The different methods used in the surface functionalization of monolithic columns are also reviewed. Finally, we critically discuss the recent applications of this column technology in the separation of large molecules under different chromatographic mode. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.