Spatial temperature gradients in liquid chromatography

A method for focusing analyte peaks corresponding to a plurality of analytes present in a sample in a liquid chromatography separation, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a liquid chromatography apparatus comprising a column packed with a stationary phase along a packed column length between a column inlet and a column outlet;
• (b) applying a first spatial temperature gradient along at least a portion of the packed column length, wherein the temperature gradient is spatially fixed and does not change with respect to the packed column length between the column inlet and the column outlet during a separation, wherein ΔT represents the difference between a highest and lowest temperature gradient, wherein direction of the applied first spatial temperature gradient is opposite to direction of a second spatial temperature gradient between the column inlet and the column outlet resulting from friction between the stationary phase and a mobile phase when flowing through the column;
• and wherein different regions of the stationary phase along the packed column length, when contacted with an analyte, have different analyte-stationary phase affinity, and the affinity depends on temperatures in the different regions;
• (c) introducing the sample into the column in a first mobile phase, wherein under influence of the first spatial temperature gradient and the first mobile phase, the plurality of analytes adsorb at the different regions in accordance with their affinities for the stationary phase at the different regions;
• and,
• (d) continuing flowing the first mobile phase or flowing a second mobile phase to elute the plurality of analytes, thereby repeatedly focusing the peaks corresponding to the plurality of analytes compared to chromatography absent the first spatial temperature gradient.

A method of improving resolution of analyte peaks corresponding to a plurality of analytes present in a sample, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a liquid chromatography apparatus comprising a trap column, and a separation column downstream from the trap column;
• wherein the trap column is packed with a first stationary phase along a trap length between a trap inlet and a trap outlet;
• and wherein the separation column is packed with a second stationary phase along a column length between a column inlet and a column outlet;
• (b) applying a first spatial temperature gradient along at least a portion of the trap length, and applying a second spatial temperature gradient along at least a portion of the column length, wherein each of the first and the second temperature gradients is spatially fixed, wherein ΔT1 represents the difference between a highest and a lowest temperature in the first temperature gradient, and ΔT2 represents the difference between a highest and a lowest temperature in the second temperature gradient, wherein different regions of the first stationary phase along the trap length, and different regions of the second stationary phase along the column length, when contacted with an analyte, have different analyte-stationary phase affinity, and the affinity depends on temperatures in the different regions of the trap length and temperatures in the different regions of the column length, respectively;
• (c) introducing the sample into the trap column in a first mobile phase, wherein under influence of the first spatial temperature gradient and the first mobile phase, the plurality of analytes adsorb at the different regions along the trap length in accordance with their affinities for the first stationary phase at the different regions;
• thereby achieving greater separation among the plurality of analytes adsorbed along the trap length than achievable in the absence of the first spatial temperature gradient;
• (d) desorbing the plurality of analytes from the trap column by heating/cooling the first stationary phase isothermally across the trap length while continuing flowing the first mobile, or flowing a second mobile phase, thereby, introducing the desorbed plurality of analytes into the separation column, wherein under influence of the second temperature gradient and first or the second mobile phase, the plurality of analytes adsorb at different regions along the column length in accordance with their affinities for the second stationary phase at the different regions;
• and a condition is created in the column such that a head of a peak corresponding to an analyte among the plurality of analytes is retained more strongly than a tail of the peak;
• and,
• (e) flowing, or continuing flowing the second mobile phase to elute the plurality of analytes, thereby repeatedly focusing the peaks corresponding to the plurality of analytes compared to chromatography absent the first and the second temperature gradients.