Loading capacities of monolithic capillary columns in gas chromatography

The loading capacities of monolithic capillary columns based on silica gel and divinylbenzene are studied for two carrier gases, CO2 and N2. It is shown that the efficiency of the column is more sensitive to the overload of the column than the retention time of the sorbate is, especially for the CO2 carrier gas. It is established that the loading capacity of a monolithic column based on silica gel decreases significantly in going from N2 to CO2. For columns based on divinylbenzene, the loading capacity is found to be virtually the same for both carrier gases. For monolithic columns, the loading capacity per one meter of column length is found to be 10 and more times higher than that for a standard open capillary column.