Stationary phases based on silica with a pore size of < 200 A like Eurospher and Eurospher II are mechanically very stable. Stationary phases with particle sizes of 5 µm or larger can be used routinely at up to 40 MPa (6,000 psi) without any problem. HPLC Plus phases with particle sizes of 3 µm can be used at up to 60 MPa (8,700 psi). UHPLC columns with particle sizes of 2 µm or smaller and inner column diameter of 2 mm can be used at up to 100 MPa (14,500 psi).
Stationary phases based on silica with a larger pore size of > 200 A like Eurosil Bioselect are not as mechanically stable as materials with smaller pore sizes. The pressure limit lies in the range of 200 bar for these materials.
For preparative HPLC columns based on silica gel, the pressure limit highly depends on the column hardware: The maximum pressure is dependent on the diameter of the column (16 and 20 mm ID 400bar, 30 mm ID 300 bar, 50 mm ID 200 bar). It is always recommended to work below the maximum allowed pressure range to guarantee a longer column lifetime. However, pressure shocks to the column should be avoided. Pressure shocks can lead to channelling in the bed column, which may result in peak splitting in the corresponding chromatogram.
Polymer based Eurokat columns shall not exceed 100 bar as the polymer matrix will collapse at higher backpressures.
Please contact the column manufacturer to be sure.
