Extending the array of crosslinkers suitable for the preparation of polymethacrylate‐based monoliths

Abstract The in situ preparation of monolithic capillary columns comprising copolymers of butyl methacrylate with ethylene dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate using thermal polymerization within 250 μm ID capillaries and their application for μ‐HPLC separations of proteins has been studied. For all crosslinkers, optimization of the porogenic mixture consisting of 1‐propanol and 1,4‐butanediol yielded monoliths with pore sizes above 1 μm suitable for rapid separations at low back pressure. Very good separations were achieved for a protein mixture consisting of ribonuclease A, cytochrome c, myoglobin, and ovalbumin with all tested columns.