On the possibility of shear-driven chromatography: a theoretical performance analysis

The use of shear forces for the generation of the mobile phase flow in chro matographic separations is proposed. This novel chromatographic operating p rinciple, referred to as shear-driven chromatography (SDC), completely circ umvents the pressure-drop limitation of conventional pressure-driven GC and LC without affecting the operational flexibility (choice of mobile and sta tionary phases, possibility of solvent and/or temperature programming, etc. ). In the present paper, the expression for the height equivalent to a theo retical plate in SDC in a channel with a flat rectangular cross-section is established and is used to demonstrate the large gain in analysis speed und er LC, GC and supercritical fluid chromatography conditions. (C) 1999 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.