Functionalization of silica gel with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural: preparation, characterization and preliminary verification

SiO2@HMF hybrid particles were obtained by the surface-modification of silica gel using 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, a platform chemical with various bioactivities, and silane coupling agents as a linker. The materials were confirmed by IR, elemental analysis and XPS. The retention time of bovine serum albumin on SiO2@HMF as a stationary phase was prolonged as compared to that of SiO2. The results may provide a new idea for the separation and recognition of proteins.