Monolithic
HPLC columns consist of single rods of continuous porous materials, they therefore require no retaining frits and they can
be synthesized by simple in situ or “one pot” process. Consequently,
the chromatographic behavior of monolithic columns can differ markedly from that of the conventional columns packed with spherical
particles. Their wide applications in a variety of chromatographic modes such as GC, HPLC and CEC has stimulate our interest
in exploring new preparation of theses phases for further use as achiral and chiral selector and support in micro HPLC. Three
types of monolithic supports are currently available; namely inorganic polymers based on silica and more recently on carbon
and zirconia, synthetic organic polymers such as polymethacrylates, polyacrylamide, polystyrenes-divinylbenzene and natural
such as agarose and cellulose. Our research interest focus on achiral and chiral polymer and hybrid silica monolith
Marwa
Ahmed, Ashraf Ghanem "Chiral β-cyclodextrin functionalized polymer monolith for the direct enantioselective reversed
phase nano liquid chromatographic separation of racemic pharmaceuticals" J. Chromatogr. A 2014;1345(0):115-127.
Ashraf
Ghanem, Robert Healey, Frady Adly “Current trends in separation of plasmid DNA vaccines” Anal. Chim. Acta,
(2013) 760, 1-15 (Cover of the first volume in 2013)
Marwa Ahmed, Ashraf Ghanem "Enantioselective nano liquid chromatographic separation
of racemic pharmaceuticals: a facile one-pot in situ preparation of lipase-based polymer monoliths in capillary format"
Chirality 2014 In press, DOI 10.1002/chir.22290.
Robert Healey, Ashraf
Ghanem "An Insight to Chiral Monolith for Enantioselective Nano and Micro HPLC: Preparation and Applications"
Chirality 2013;25(6):314-323.
Kenneth
C. Saunders, Ashraf Ghanem, Hon Wei Boon, Emily F. Hilder, and Paul R. Haddad “Bioanalysis using monolithic phases:
Challenges, recent developments and future possibilities” Anal. Chim. Acta 2009, 652, 22-31.