Adsorbent Materials for Liquid Phase Separations

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Luis A. Colón and his research group at SUNY Buffalo are developing innovative organo-silica adsorptive materials. These materials are an essential component in separation methodology used in chemical analysis, which in turn is central to chemical, biological, environmental, pharmaceutical, and other related sciences. The materials are based on silica structures and designed to have useful physicochemical characteristics with the goal of improving the currently used separation media, with consideration in the chemical analysis of contaminants. The research approach is targeting a flexible platform on which different separation materials could be synthesized, bringing new possibilities for their use in specific practical applications. The research activities will engage graduate and undergraduate students, including members of traditionally underrepresented groups, providing advanced training and skills in chemical analysis necessary for the modern-day workforce in the academic, pharmaceutical, and industrial chemical sectors. The research project is focused on the synthesis and the physicochemical characterization of organo-silica adsorbent materials. The adsorbent will be synthesized on core magnetic nanoparticles and core silica particles to be used in magnetic solid phase extraction (SPE) and in liquid chromatography (LC). The adsorbent material will consist of a silica-hybrid that will have a characteristic fibrous/dendritic-type structure, while containing azide-chemical functionalities at the surface, serving as a platform to react with chemical entities that will alter the surface chemical composition of the material via “click” chemistry (copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cyclocondensation). The organo-silica surface will be modified with chemical functionalities (e.g., fluorocarbons, ion exchangers, and polar moieties) that will provide a set of different mixed-mode interactions in liquid phase separations. Through a systematic evaluation, using well-established techniques (e.g., infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, gas adsorption analysis, and scanning electron microscopy) the physicochemical properties of the materials will be established. LC and SPE will be used to examine the chromatographic and adsorptive performance of the newly synthesized materials, which will include the use of standard protocols to assess the selectivity and stability of the materials. The project holds promise for advancing knowledge in the field of adsorbent materials for use in separation methods. The new materials will be used in chemical analysis, for example, in the analysis of pollutants and pharmaceutical compounds. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.