Column technology has been a rich area for HPLC R&D. As reasonably expensive consumables, columns are a significant factor in LC operating costs and performance— in other words, key value drivers. Superficially porous particles (SPPs) represent a true breakthrough in column technology. SPPs go by different names depending on the vendor and consist of a solid silica core surrounded by a porous shell. Conventional particles are porous throughout. The basis for SPPs’ enhanced performance is more rapid mass transfer through the particle bed, which occurs at the expense of binding capacity. Most SPP sizes are in the 2.6µ range. However, SPPs will not provide significant performance enhancements unless one addresses the system contributions to band broadening.
The top 10 most important factors in our readers’ decisions to buy HPLC columns included:
| Important | Not Important | Don't Know | |
| Technical performance of HPLC columns (e.g. peak shape) | 93% | 5% | 2% |
| Ruggedness / durability of HPLC columns | 90% | 9% | 1% |
| Lot to lot reproducibility of HPLC columns | 82% | 14% | 4% |
| Initial purchase price of column | 69% | 29% | 2% |
| Reputation of column manufacturer | 64% | 32% | 4% |
| Applications support | 62% | 36% | 5% |
| Breadth of HPLC column offering (Selectivity) | 58% | 35% | 7% |
| Available applications literature | 55% | 40% | 5% |
| Method validation / compliance support | 55% | 40% | 5% |
| Specials and promotions | 48% | 40% | 12% |
The types of columns our surveyed readers are using for their liquid chromatography work include:
| Large ID (> 10 mm dia) | 12% |
| Analytical scale (~4.6 mm dia) | 54% |
| Narrow-bore (1 to 2 mm dia) | 21% |
| Capillary columns (< 0.3 mm dia) | 9% |
| Chip-level (microfluidic) | 1% |
| Other | 2% |
Our readers’ current column usage within their departments:
| 0 - 1 per month | 38% |
| 2-5 per month | 28% |
| 6-10 per month | 10% |
| 10-50 per month | 9% |
| 50+ per month | 7% |
| Don’t know | 7% |
Requiring higher quality data was our readers’ number one reason for purchasing LC columns:
| Trying to reduce operating costs | 7% |
| We require more precise and accurate flow rates | 8% |
| Setting up a new lab / developing a brand new method | 11% |
| Require shorter run times / increased lab throughput | 13% |
| Require higher quality data | 14% |
| Addition to existing systems, increase capacity | 6% |
| Upgrading existing HPLC system to UHPLC | 5% |
| Reduce solvent usage and waste | 8% |
| Reduce sample prep steps and time | 6% |
| Increase column life | 10% |
| Working with more difficult samples that cause column clogging | 8% |
| Require a special size LC Column | 2% |
| Other | 3% |
The most common HPLC separation modes our readers are using or plan to use in their labs are reversed phase, followed by normal phase and ion exchange.
| Reversed phase | 27% |
| Normal phase | 15% |
| Hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) | 10% |
| Ion exchange | 12% |
| Chiral | 4% |
| Gel permeation (GPC) | 6% |
| Gel filtration (GFC) | 6% |
| Ion exclusion | 4% |
| Ion chromatography | 10% |
| Affinity | 4% |
| % |
For more information on HPLC columns, visit www.labmanager.com/hplc-columns
Completed Surveys: 209
