Pore size control of monodisperse mesoporous silica particles with alkyl imidazole ionic liquid templates for high performance liquid chromatography applications

Abstract

The control of pore size in mesoporous silica particles is still a topic of considerable research attention for the preparation of chromatographic packing materials. In this study, three alkyl imidazole ionic liquid surfactants ([BRIJOn-MIM]Ts (n = 2, 10, 20)) were synthesized from polyoxyethylene oleyl ether (BRIJ™On, n = 2, 10, 20), 1-methylimidazole, and p-toluenesulfonyl chloride. [BRIJOn-MIM]Ts (n = 2, 10, 20) exhibited different template behaviors in the preparation of mesoporous silica, and hollow silica with worm-like vesicle structures, spherical silica, and gel were obtained, respectively. Monodisperse sub-3 µm core-shell silica particles (CSSPs) with narrow pore size distribution were successfully prepared by the ultrasound-assisted sol-gel method using [BRIJO10-MIM]Ts as the template. A shell thickness of up to 300 nm was obtained, and the pore size was expanded from 4.7 to 7.3 nm by adjusting the reaction parameters, overcoming the limitation of pore size to less than 4 nm when using organic alkyl quaternary ammonium or alkyl imidazolium surfactants as the templates. The synthesized 2.7 µm CSSPs were functionalized with tert-butylcarbamoylated quinine and used as an anion exchange chiral stationary phase, exhibiting excellent separation performance for N-substituted amino acid enantiomers.