Effect of different initiators on temperature-sensitive monolithic columns and application in online enrichment of β-sitosterol

Three temperature-sensitive monolithic columns were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization and oxidation–reduction method using the initiator systems of CCl 4 /FeCl 2 , BPO/DMA, and APS/TEMED, respectively. The three monoliths were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and thermogravimetric analysis. The obtained monolithic columns were used as on-line solid phase extraction sorbent coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the enrichment of β-sitosterol. By comparing some influencing factors on the adsorption, the optimum temperature-sensitive monolithic column which was initiated by CCl 4 /FeCl 2 was selected for enrichment of β-sitosterol from plant oil. The maximum adsorption capacity of the monolith for β-sitosterol was 10.0031 mg/g. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.039 and 0.13 mg/mL, respectively. The recovery was in the range of 90.21–98.26%. The results showed that the monolith had better selectivity for β-sitosterol and could be used for enrichment of β-sitosterol in food samples. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47683.