Liquid Chromatography Based on a Low-Temperature Method of Producing Glassy Carbon

The chromatographic application of a new lowtemperature method for the generation of glassy carbon is demonstrated. The glassy carbon is generated by heating a diethynyl aromatic oligomeric precursor to temperatures <1000 °C. The unique glassy carbon precursor exhibits minimal mass loss during heating which allows the generation of glassy carbon films. In high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) applications, this low-temperature glassy carbon (LTGC) has retention characteristics ranging from those observed with classical reversed-phase materials to those displayed by commercially-available glassy carbon supports. These “tunable” retention characteristics are easily controlled and determined by the final curing temperature. LTGC-coated silica supports were generated and used for HPLC, and LTGC-coated open tubular columns were prepared and used for supercritical fluid chromatography.