Peptide & Purification

Chromatography Stationary Phase & Purification Media

Mechotech supplies a complete range of chromatography stationary phases — the silica and polymeric media that do the actual separating inside a purification column. Every grade is built from perfectly spherical, monodisperse particles with a tightly controlled pore size, so packed beds are uniform, mechanically stable and highly reproducible from lot to lot. Particle sizes of 3, 5, 7, 10, 20 and 50 µm span high-resolution analytical-prep work through robust, high-throughput process purification. The portfolio covers normal-phase, reverse-phase (RPC), ion-exchange (IEX), hydrophobic-interaction (HIC), affinity, Protein A and chiral chemistries for peptide, protein, API and natural-product purification.

A Mechotech stationary phase starts from a spherical base bead — high-purity silica or a rigid polymeric backbone — whose narrow particle-size distribution and defined pore structure give low back-pressure, sharp peaks and predictable scale-up. Reverse-phase grades carry bonded alkyl chemistries for peptide and small-molecule separations; ion-exchange grades offer strong and weak cation- and anion-exchange functionalities; HIC grades resolve by surface hydrophobicity under high-salt conditions; and affinity grades, including Protein A media, capture target biomolecules with high selectivity. Chiral separations are supported with both mobilised and immobilised chiral selectors for resolving enantiomers. Media are supplied loose for self-packing or pre-qualified for Mechotech's preparative columns, so the same chemistry can be carried from method development straight through to production without changing selectivity.

Technical Specifications

Media Type	Monodisperse silica and polymeric stationary phase
Particle Shape	Perfectly spherical, uniform (monodisperse)
Particle Sizes	3, 5, 7, 10, 20 and 50 µm
Pore Structure	Controlled, defined pore size (configurable)
Base Matrix	High-purity silica or rigid polymeric backbone
Separation Modes	Normal phase, RPC, IEX, HIC, affinity, Protein A, chiral
Ion-Exchange Types	Strong / weak cation and anion exchange
Chiral Selectors	Mobilised and immobilised
Chemical Stability	Withstands clean-in-place and sanitisation cycles
Supply Form	Loose media or pre-qualified for Mechotech columns
Reusability	Regenerable for many cycles
Applications	Peptide, protein, API and natural-product purification

Plant Capacities

Media / Mode	Particle Size	Typical Use
Reverse Phase (RPC) silica	3 / 5 / 7 µm	High-resolution peptide & small-molecule prep
Reverse Phase (RPC) silica	10 / 20 µm	Process-scale peptide & API purification
Normal Phase silica	5 / 10 µm	Natural-product & lipophilic compound separation
Ion Exchange (IEX) polymeric	10 / 20 / 50 µm	Protein, peptide & charged-molecule capture
Hydrophobic Interaction (HIC)	10 / 20 µm	Protein polishing under high-salt conditions
Affinity	20 / 50 µm	Selective capture of tagged biomolecules
Protein A affinity	20 / 50 µm	Antibody & Fc-fusion protein capture
Chiral (mobilised / immobilised)	5 / 10 µm	Enantiomer resolution for pharmaceuticals

Representative media grades; each chemistry is offered across particle sizes and controlled pore sizes and can be supplied loose or pre-qualified for Mechotech columns. Selectivity, capacity and particle size are matched to the target molecule and scale — custom grades on request.

Manufacturing Process

Mode & Chemistry Selection

The target molecule and the impurity profile set the separation mode — reverse-phase, ion-exchange, HIC, affinity, Protein A or chiral — and therefore the base media chemistry.

Particle & Pore Selection

Particle size (3, 5, 7, 10, 20 or 50 µm) and controlled pore size are chosen to balance resolution, back-pressure and loading for the required scale.

Slurry & Conditioning

The media is slurried in a compatible solvent or buffer and conditioned so particles are fully wetted and evenly dispersed before packing.

Column Packing

The monodisperse, spherical particles pack into a dense, uniform, low-void bed — ideal for dynamic-axial-compression columns and highly reproducible between packs.

Equilibration & Loading

The bed is equilibrated to the starting mobile phase, then sample is loaded so target and impurities begin to partition on the stationary phase.

Elution & Fractionation

A gradient or step elution separates the components; sharp, symmetrical peaks from the uniform particles give clean fractions and high recovery.

Cleaning-in-Place & Sanitisation

The rigid spherical base withstands aggressive clean-in-place and sanitisation cycles, restoring the bed between batches without loss of performance.

Regeneration & Reuse

The media is regenerated and re-equilibrated for the next cycle; its mechanical and chemical stability supports many reuse cycles across a campaign.

Applications

Preparative and process purification of synthetic and recombinant peptides
Protein, enzyme and monoclonal-antibody capture and polishing
Protein A affinity capture of antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins
Small-molecule API and intermediate purification
Chiral resolution of pharmaceutical enantiomers
Desalting, buffer exchange and impurity removal
Isolation of natural-product actives, alkaloids and glycosides
Nutraceutical, food and cosmetic ingredient purification

Key Features

Monodisperse Spherical Particles
Perfectly spherical, uniform particles form even, low-void beds that give sharp peaks, low back-pressure and reproducible results lot to lot.
Controlled Pore Size
A defined pore structure matched to the target molecule maximises usable surface area, binding capacity and mass transfer.
Full Range of Modes
Normal-phase, reverse-phase, ion-exchange, HIC, affinity, Protein A and chiral chemistries cover peptide, protein, API and natural-product work.
Silica & Polymeric Backbones
High-purity silica for efficiency and resolution, or rigid polymeric bases for wide-pH stability and demanding clean-in-place regimes.
Particle Sizes 3–50 µm
Fine 3–7 µm grades for high-resolution prep and coarser 10–50 µm grades for robust, high-throughput process purification.
Seamless Scale-Up
The same chemistry is available across particle sizes and pre-qualified for Mechotech columns, so methods scale without changing selectivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chromatography stationary phase?

It is the packed media inside a chromatography column that actually performs the separation. As the mobile phase carries the sample through, each component interacts differently with the stationary phase and elutes at a different time, so the target is separated from impurities and collected in purified fractions.

Why does monodisperse, spherical particle shape matter?

Perfectly spherical, uniform particles pack into an even, low-void bed. That gives sharp, symmetrical peaks, low and predictable back-pressure, higher resolution and results that reproduce reliably from lot to lot and from one scale to the next.

Which particle size should I choose?

Finer 3–7 µm grades give the highest resolution for method development and high-value prep, while coarser 10–50 µm grades give lower back-pressure and greater robustness for high-throughput process purification. Because the same chemistry spans the range, you can develop on a fine grade and scale onto a coarser one.

What separation modes are available?

The portfolio covers normal-phase, reverse-phase (RPC), ion-exchange (IEX), hydrophobic-interaction (HIC), affinity, Protein A and chiral separations, with both mobilised and immobilised chiral selectors — supporting peptide, protein, API and natural-product purification.

Silica or polymeric — which base should I use?

Silica bases give high efficiency and resolution and suit reverse- and normal-phase peptide and small-molecule work. Rigid polymeric bases tolerate a wider pH range and aggressive clean-in-place, which suits ion-exchange and process biomolecule purification. Mechotech supplies both.

Can the media be cleaned and reused?

Yes. The rigid spherical particles withstand repeated clean-in-place, sanitisation and regeneration cycles, so a bed can be restored and reused many times across a campaign without losing performance, which lowers cost per batch.

Can I buy media pre-qualified for your columns?

Yes. Media is supplied loose for self-packing or pre-qualified and packed into Mechotech preparative columns, so the stationary phase, column and packing service arrive as one matched, performance-verified system.

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Chromatography Stationary Phase & Purification Media