Louise L. Peel

The use of dual polarization interferometry (DPI) to measure the behaviour of alkyl-modified surfaces under different solvent regimes is described. The empirically observed and modelled behaviour of grafted long alkyl chain adlayers on a silica surface were in good agreement. The empirical data was also compared with data using analogous systems and these also matched well. This approach has the potential to gain much greater insight into the behaviour of reversed-phase (RP) columns and could help to design column surfaces that are resistant to phase collapse.