CHROMATOGRAPHIC COMPARISON OF THE PORE STRUCTURES OF ZIRCONIA HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC MATERIALS MADE BY THE POLYMERIZATION INDUCED COLLOIDAL AGGREGATION AND THE OIL EMULSION METHODS

The pore structures of zirconium oxide particles prepared by two diffe rent methods (PICA and Oil Emulsion processes) are compared. Nitrogen sorptometry and size exclusion chromatography are used to characterize the two different types of particles. Significant and unexpected diff erences were found in the accessible pore volumes and the bed packing densities of the two materials. The PICA material was found to have a higher totally included and totally excluded volume than would be norm ally expected. The chromatographic method provides results which are m ore useful for the application of these materials to separation scienc e.