The separation of molecules...
A separation process can have two primary objectives: to gather information (analysis) or to purify a product. Conventional separation methods, such as distillation, extraction, and crystallisation, may not be sufficiently effective, particularly when handling molecules with similar structures.
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Separative offers Multi Capillary Monolith Columns specifically designed for liquid chromatography in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, improving separation operations' speed, efficiency and sustainability significantly.
...An essentiel issue in the sciences of matter
Separative designs its columns using a grid of rectilinear and parallel channels, similar to a honeycomb structure. This innovative design, combined with ultra-pure silica material, eliminates the usual pressure drop and allows separation to take place at low pressures (as low as 3 bar).
This negates the necessity for costly high-pressure generation, as well as significantly reducing solvent usage, thereby prolonging the lifespan of the column.
Multi-capillary monoliths
Current chromatographic column technologies are designed with a chaotic arrangement of particles or fibrils as the separation medium, resulting in significant flow resistance and the need for high operating pressures.
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The outcome is an innovative technical advance that decreases pressure, volume and equipment expenses while preserving separation effectiveness that is equivalent to, or possibly even superior than, the most recent standards.
The material
In traditional practice, monolithic silica gels produced using the sol-gel process tend to experience significant shrinkage during synthesis, limiting their maximum achievable diameter to just a few millimetres.
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The substrate boasts an impressive specific surface area of 250 m²/g and features an 8 nm pore size. Notably, it retains stability during drying and exhibits mechanical strength similar to ceramics. These remarkable properties signify a significant change and are fundamental to Separative's technological, industrial, and economic capabilities.
The potential
Consider a set of glass capillary tubes operating in parallel. If there are any slight inconsistencies among them, this can result in a significant decrease in separation efficiency, as demonstrated by the blue graph below.
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In contrast, when these tubes serve as open channels within a porous mass, molecular diffusion between the channels effectively counteracts any dispersive phenomena. This leads to columns with continuously increasing efficiency, as shown by the red graph. The potential of the monolith is truly remarkable, especially in the area of multi-capillary chromatography.
