On the possibility of shear-driven chromatography: a theoretical performance analysis

The use of shear forces for the generation of the mobile phase flow in chromatographic separations is proposed. This novel chromatographic operating principle, referred to as shear-driven chromatography (SDC), completely circumvents the pressure-drop limitation of conventional pressure-driven GC and LC without affecting the operational flexibility (choice of mobile and stationary phases, possibility of solvent and/or temperature programming, etc.). In the present paper, the expression for the height equivalent to a theoretical plate in SDC in a channel with a flat rectangular cross-section is established and is used to demonstrate the large gain in analysis speed under LC, GC and supercritical fluid chromatography conditions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.