Separating argon and oxygen in chromatography has always been difficult as both molecules coelute unless operated at cryogenic temperature using expensive setup. This is even more true when trace ppb argon need to be separated from pure oxygen.
The material used in the ArDSieve column is the outcome of an intensive R&D program and decades of experience. The material is a combination of clinoptilite, an ion exchanged chabazite and proprietary treatments.
Recent advances in material science have allowed ASDevices to better oxidise its solid phase material. This is made possible with a proprietary mixture containing O2 which is introduced into a plasma chamber.
In order to obtain a good argon and oxygen separation, it is important to properly dry the column material. With our decades of experience, we have developed an enhanced dehydration process which further improves the column performance. We have also introduced a moisture protection layer which we have called HydraGuard. The HydraGuard layer which is on both sides of the column avoids column contamination when manipulating the column or when a contaminated sample is injected.
Doing pack column is easy. Doing great pack column is difficult, especially when trying to measure trace impurities. At ASDevices, we have over 30 years of experience that we share with our customers.
Mesh size range is very often overlooked with packed column. Having a large mesh size range causes eddy diffusion which is well known in chromatography to increase peak broadening. The other issue is reproducibility from one column to another. We consequently manufacture all of our columns with a mesh size of 60/65 for optimum performance.