Patent for Porous Shell LC Particle Manufacturing Technology

Agilent Technologies, Inc announced that it was awarded a US patent for the process used to apply the superficially porous shell to particles in Agilent Poroshell 120 highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns. The patent was issued for the unique coacervation process used to manufacture the Poroshell 120 silica. The process applies the superficially porous shell to the particles in a single step, replacing a multi-layering procedure. This reduces variation between columns for more reproducible results.

Poroshell 120 columns make the high speed and high resolution of sub-two-micron separations available to users of any mainstream LC instrument, including conventional HPLC. The columns also enhance the performance of UHPLC systems, up to 600 bar, enabling chromatographers to optimise the performance of Agilent’s new 1200 Infinity Series, which offers 600-bar capabilities as a standard feature.

“This simpler process delivers real benefits to our customers because it reduces variability in the chromatography workflow,” said Helen Stimson, Agilent Vice President, Global Consumables for Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis. Agilent introduced superficially porous shell particle technology to the LC community in 2001with the Poroshell 300 HPLC column for biomolecule separations, and has reinvented the technology using coacervation as a key differentiator between Poroshell 120 columns and competitive offerings. This is the latest in a long history of LC column innovations, which include unique bonding on Eclipse Plus columns and unique packing of ZORBAX Rapid Resolution High Definition columns enabling stability at pressures as high as 1200 bar.