Electrolytic eluent generators with stabilized operating voltages
AssigneeDionex Corporation
InventorsZhongqing Lu, Yan Liu, Christopher A. Pohl, Jinhua Chen, Jun Cheng
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Abstract
An electrolytic eluent generator includes an electrolyte reservoir, an eluent generation chamber, and an ion exchange membrane stack. The electrolyte reservoir includes a chamber containing an aqueous electrolyte solution including an electrolyte; and a first electrode. The eluent generation chamber including a second electrode. The ion exchange connector includes an ion exchange membrane stack, and a compression block.
Claims22
An electrolytic eluent generator for adding a generant to a liquid to produce an eluent for use in a chromatography column, comprising:
- an electrolyte reservoir including:
- a chamber containing an aqueous electrolyte solution;
- and
- a first electrode;
- an eluent generation chamber including a second electrode, an inlet coupled to a liquid source, and an outlet coupled to a separation column;
- and
- an ion exchange connector including:
- an ion exchange membrane stack;
- and
- a compression block including a surface-modified polymer having a hydrophilic surface, the compression block disposed between the electrolyte reservoir and the ion exchange membrane stack, and the compression block including a plurality of opened vertical channels for the aqueous electrolyte solution to contact the ion exchange membrane stack,
- wherein, when a voltage or current is applied across the first electrode and the second electrode, ions from the electrolyte solution migrate across the ion exchange membrane stack and combine with a hydroxide anion or a hydronium ion produced electrolytically at the second electrode to form an eluent for ion chromatography.
A method for adding a generant to a liquid to produce an eluent for use in a chromatography column, comprising:
- providing an aqueous electrolyte solution to an electrolyte reservoir, the electrolyte reservoir coupled to an eluent generation chamber by an ion exchange connector, the ion exchange connector including an ion exchange membrane stack and a compression block, the compression block disposed between the electrolyte reservoir and the ion exchange membrane stack, and the compression block including a plurality of opened vertical channels for the aqueous electrolyte solution to contact the ion exchange membrane stack, the compression block including a surface-modified polymer having a hydrophilic surface;
- applying a current or voltage across a first electrode in the eluent generation chamber and a second electrode in the electrolyte reservoir;
- electrolytically splitting water at the first electrode to form a hydroxide anion or a hydronium ion in the eluent generation chamber;
- and
- migrating an ion from the aqueous electrolyte solution in the electrolyte reservoir through the ion exchange membrane stack of the ion exchange connector to the eluent generation chamber to combine with the hydroxide anion to form a cation hydroxide solution or the hydronium ion to form an anion acid for ion chromatography.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.