Silica and alumina based functional materials: Substructures, adsorption and gas chromatographic properties

Abstract Modification of nano- and adsorption textures of alumina and silica as well as study of their chemical surface properties have been made. The use of specific templates as structure directing agents allowed varying their textural characteristics and obtaining macroporous and mesoporous functional materials with preferred influence of the substructures on the chromatographic properties of the materials. As packings of chromatographic columns structured materials gave an opportunity to carry out gas chromatographic analysis of mixtures faster than their unstructured analogs. In some cases, the efficiency of columns packed by such materials was just over than those packed by nontemplated counterparts. Modification of silica and alumina by carbonization allowed varying the chemical nature of initial surface and expanding the number of functional materials based on them. It was shown that adsorption potential of dispersion (non-specific) interaction of n-paraffins with carbonized silica and alumina was much higher compared to that of the noncarbonized materials. Some examples of successful application of the studied materials in practical gas chromatography are presented.