Description:
Researchers
at Queen’s University have developed a robust retaining frit for capillary LC
column packing using micro-structured optical fibre (MSF). A representative frit
containing 168 precisely patterned holes with 4 µm
hole diameter has
been used to successfully retain 3 µm
microspheres.
Currently, porous frits made by sintering metallic particles are
widely used to retain particles for LC packing. However, this type of frit tends
to have relatively higher flow resistance and its production is not as
reproducible.
Benefits:
MSF Frits offer significantly lower backpressures (resistance to
fluidic flow) compared to conventional chromatographic frits and significantly
improved frit-to-frit reproducibility at relatively low cost.
Applications:
The MSF Frit can be used for reagent-laden particles (e.g. liquid
chromatography, biological bead-based assays, small-scale catalysis), however at
the outset this would probably be applied to low flow liquid chromatographic
columns.
Status
of Commercialization:
PARTEQ
Innovations, the technology transfer arm of Queen’s
University, are
interested in commercializing this technology with an experienced company
specialized in the analytical chemistry industry.