Abstract
The theory that ultrashort chromatographic column could be useful for the separation of proteins emerged in the 1980s. However, experimental confirmation failed after numerous unsuccessful attempts to pack an efficient column just a few millimeters long due to the massive channeling.
Thus, a new type of column that was not packed with particles had to be designed and developed to demonstrate that indeed even the very short layer can separate. Being polymer chemists, we have thought about the preparation of a porous polymer in bulk that could be machined and form the layer.
While the theory concerning the formation of porous beads was well known, the literature focused on polymer science did not include anything useful that could help us with the preparations of mechanically stable polymer materials possessing well-controlled porous properties.