EFFECT OF POROUS STRUCTURE OF MACROPOROUS POLYMER SUPPORTS ON RESOLUTION IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE MEMBRANE CHROMATOGRAPHY OF PROTEINS

The effect of porous structures of 2-mm thick diethylamine functionali zed monolithic polymethacrylate discs on their chromatographic behavio r in ion-exchange mode has been studied. Discs with small pores did no t perform well because they exhibited high back pressure and substanti al peak broadening. Discs characterized with pelts larger than 1000 nm did not provide good separations either because the time required for some protein molecules to traverse the length across the pore to reac h the wall for adsorption/desorption process that is essential for the separation may be longer than their residence time within the matrix. Optimum pore size is centered at about 700 nm. Excellent separations have been achieved with these discs even at very steep gradients and h igh flow-rates which allow to shorten the separation times substantial ly. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.