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Preparation and characterization of carbon dot-decorated silica stationary phase in deep eutectic solvents for hydrophilic interaction chromatography

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Abstract

In this paper, N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) were successfully decorated on the spherical porous silica surface in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as a novel class of green solvents. The appropriate density and hydrophility of DESs guaranteed the fine dispersibility of silica particles and NCDs, resulting in a homogeneous and thin layer of NCDs immobilization. As compared with traditional organic solvents (DMF and THF), higher surface coverage was obtained in the medium of DES, proving its feasibility as a new kind of alternative solvent for hydrophilic nanomaterial-based surface modification of silica spheres. The resulting NCDs-decorated silica particles (Sil-NCDs) were characterized in detail and packed into chromatographic columns to study their initial feasibility as adsorbent material for liquid chromatography. The resultant packing materials demonstrate a selective behavior for polar compounds in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) mode. This work gives a typical example of using carbon dots as stationary phase component, and such material is hopeful to be used in other research fields such as solid absorbents, recycling catalysts, and solid-state electrochemistry etc.

N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) were successfully coupled on the surface of porous silica spheres in a green strategy using deep eutectic solvents (DES) as media for HILIC.

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Acknowledgements

Financial supports from the “Hundred Talents Program” of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21475142, 21611140105) and the funds for Distinguished Young Scientists of Gansu (1506RJDA281) and the top priority program of “One-Three-Five” Strategic Planning of Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS, are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, CAS / Key Laboratory for Natural Medicines of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China

    Haijuan Zhang, Xin Qiao, Tianpei Cai, Jia Chen, Zhan Li & Hongdeng Qiu

  2. State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China

    Hongdeng Qiu

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  1. Haijuan Zhang
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Zhang, H., Qiao, X., Cai, T. et al. Preparation and characterization of carbon dot-decorated silica stationary phase in deep eutectic solvents for hydrophilic interaction chromatography. Anal Bioanal Chem 409, 2401–2410 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0187-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0187-z

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