Design of fluorinated cross-linked poly(ionic liquid) stationary phases for green liquid chromatography and multiple applications in food and drug analysis

A novel fluorinated cross-linked poly(ionic liquid) stationary phase was developed. • Multi-modal separations are achieved with a single fluorinated stationary phase. • Enhanced resolution of organic halides using the fluorinated stationary phases. • The application of the stationary phase practices the concept of green chemistry. Green liquid chromatography has garnered increasing attention due to heightened environmental awareness among the public. In this work, a cross-linked poly(ionic liquid)-modified stationary phase was developed and was further functionalized with fluorine using 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene. Chromatographic evaluations demonstrated the comprehensive separation capabilities of the mixed-mode HILIC/RPLC/IEX configuration, highlighting the potential to replace multiple single-mode columns with a mixed-mode column. High repeatable retention was achieved in green per aqueous liquid chromatography. The fluorine modification enhanced the stationary phase’s capacity to separate organic halides and their isomers. Finally, this stationary phase was used to separate and detect multiple analytes in everyday products, achieving satisfactory relative standard deviations (RSDs) and recoveries that typically require diverse columns and instruments under conventional methods. Overall, the results underscore the advantages of preparing green chromatography stationary phases using cross-linked poly(ionic liquid), as well as the superiority of mixed-mode chromatography for diverse routine analyses.