Multi-capillary monolith made from amorphous silica and/or activated alumina
OwnerFrancois Parmentierinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a monolithic porous material based on amorphous silica or activated alumina or on one of their mixtures, the material comprising substantially rectilinear capillary ducts that lie parallel to one another, and being intended to be used as packing in a chromatography column, characterised in that: the ducts have, relative to one another, a substantially uniform cross section; the cross-section of each duct is uniform over its entire length; the ducts pass right through the material; the volume of micropores smaller than 0.3 nm is smaller than 50% of the total porous volume of the material.
Claims16
1-20. (canceled)
A packing for a chromatographic column, comprising a monolithic porous material based on a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina and comprising substantially rectilinear capillary channels parallel to one another, wherein:
- said channels have a substantially uniform section relatively to each other, the average diameter of a channel not differing on average by more than 30% from the average diameters of the channels,
- the section of each channel is regular over the whole of its length, the diameter of a channel not varying by more than a factor 2 between the most narrow areas and the widest areas,
- said channels cross right through the material,
- said channels have a diameter of less than 0.25 mm.
An axial or radial continuous annular chromatography apparatus comprising a packing, wherein the packing comprises a monolithic porous material based on a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina and comprising substantially rectilinear capillary channels parallel to one another, wherein:
- said channels have a substantially uniform section relatively to each other, the average diameter of a channel not differing on average by more than 30% from the average diameters of the channels,
- the section of each channel is regular over the whole of its length, the diameter of a channel not varying by more than a factor 2 between the most narrow areas and the widest areas,
- said channels cross right through the material,
- said channels have a diameter of less than 0.25 mm.
A method for producing a packing comprising a monolithic porous material based on a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina and comprising substantially rectilinear capillary channels parallel to one another, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a bundle of so-called precursor fibres of the channels for which the diameter is equal to that of the capillary channels,
- forming a porous matrix around fibres based on a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina,
- eliminating the fibres so as to form in said matrix, said capillary channels.
A method for manufacturing a packing comprising a monolithic porous material based on a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina and comprising substantially rectilinear capillary channels parallel to one another, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming a cross-linked silicone matrix comprising a load of a combination including amorphous silica and activated alumina around the fibres,
- pyrolysis of the silicone so as to leave an amorphous silica residue binding the particles of the load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.