Exploration of Mesoporous Stationary Phases Prepared Using Deep Eutectic Solvents Combining Choline Chloride with 1,2-Butanediol or Glycerol for Use in Size-Exclusion Chromatography

Mesoporous siliceous particles were prepared using deep eutectic solvents (DESs)—either choline chloride and 1,2-butanediol in a 1:2 molar ratio (ChCl-B) or choline chloride and glycerol in a 1:2 molar ratio (ChCl-G)—and then tested as column packing materials in size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). When they were tested as column packing materials in SEC of a mixture of two dextrans with different molecular weights using a methanol mobile phase, the ChCl-G-based particles were not able to separate the dextrans, whereas the ChCl-B-based particles provided good separation (considerably better than that afforded by traditional sorbents) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min−1. This high separating power of the ChCl-B-based particles can be attributed to the utilization of the DES ChCl-B during their preparation.