Polyelectrolyte-grafted anion exchangers with hydrophilic intermediate layers for ion chromatography.

• Polyelectrolyte-grafted anion exchangers with underlying hydrophilic layers. • Improvement in grafting effectiveness via successive grafting method. • Carboxylic intermediate layers substantially reduce both capacity and hydrophobicity. • Hydroxylic intermediate layers temperately reduce hydrophobicity. • Separation of multiple anionic components by suppressed anionic chromatography. The hydrophobicity of polymer-based anion exchangers is a persistent problem in suppressed anionic chromatography (SAC) due to its adverse effect on chromatographic performance. Herein we describe polyelectrolyte-grafted anion exchangers with modified hydrophilic intermediate layers. The anion exchangers were functionalized by successively grafting a linear cationic condensation polymer (LCCP), a preprepared polyelectrolyte. The carboxylic/hydroxylic intermediate layers formed during thiol-radical-mediated polymerization exert distinct effects on the phase capacity and hydrophobicity. The separation of typical inorganic anions, polarizable anions, and organic acids shows that the anion exchangers display good performance in SAC mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]