US 7,373,073 B2 · Photonic colloidal crystal columns and their inverse structures for chromatography

Abstract

The present invention provides a straightforward and robust synthetic process for producing a chromatographic column with eluent-sensitive light diffracting properties based on an inherent photonic band structure and a chromatographic device using the chromatographic column. The present invention provides chromatographic devices employing a chromatographic column which in one embodiment is a photonic colloidal crystal which includes an assembly of colloidal microspheres assembled into a highly ordered array within a housing such as a tube with the highly ordered array being a photonic crystal along the length of the crystal, and a second embodiment which is an inverse construct of the first embodiment, where solid microspheres making up the photonic colloidal crystal chromatographic column are replaced with spherical voids or void spaces subsequent to infiltration of a material of selected refractive index. The photonic band structures of the first type of column made with colloidal particles and the second type of column made by inverting the first type of column may include a photonic band gap, a fundamental stop-band, higher stop-bands, or combinations thereof.

Claims113

Dependent claims

A chromatographic separation medium, comprising:

an elongated housing containing a photonic crystal column enclosed therein having a photonic band structure which interacts with electromagnetic radiation along a length of the photonic crystal column, the photonic crystal column including interconnected voids defining flow passageways through the photonic crystal column for a liquid, gaseous, critical, or supercritical mobile phase containing materials to be separated by the photonic crystal column, wherein changes in the photonic band structure of the photonic crystal column occur as the liquid, gaseous, critical, or supercritical mobile phase containing materials to be separated is flowed through said photonic crystal column and separated therein.

A chromatographic method, comprising the steps of:

flowing a liquid, gaseous, critical, or supercritical mobile phase containing materials to be separated through a chromatographic separation medium which includes a photonic crystal column, the photonic crystal column having a photonic band structure which interacts with electromagnetic radiation along a length of the photonic crystal column, the photonic crystal column including interconnected voids defining flow passageways therethrough, wherein changes in the photonic band structure of the photonic crystal column occur as the liquid, gaseous, critical, or supercritical mobile phase containing materials to be separated is flowed through said photonic crystal column and separated therein;
and
spectroscopically monitoring for changes in the photonic band structure of the photonic crystal column as the liquid, gaseous, critical, or supercritical mobile phase flows through the photonic crystal column and correlating any changes in the photonic band structure with the materials being separated.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Photonic colloidal crystal columns and their inverse structures for chromatography

Life of this patent

Photonic colloidal crystal columns and their inverse structures for chromatography

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims113