Chromatographic Studies of Small Inorganic Particles

Small (nanometer-sized) particles of chalcogenides have been prepared and coated inside fused silica capillary columns, which were then characterized by a dual-oven column-switched method of inverse chromatography recently developed in this laboratory(1), as well as optical and scanning electron microscopy and pyrolysis GC-MS. Results show that columns are robust and thermally stable up to 250C. A variety of probe solutes interact to some extent with the particle surfaces, with behavior ranging from reversible adsorption via primarily dispersive interactions to strong specific chemisorption. Surface properties can be changed through chemical modification of the particle surface. Methods for particle preparation and column coating will be discussed. Retention mechanisms will be proposed, based on the results of chromatographic surface characterization.