Inspired versatility and reliability - The next era of SFC
"SFC is changing the way we operate by opening the door to new applications."- Caroline West, Associate Professor, University of Orléans, France, in ‘The Analytical Scientist’ May 2020
Shimadzu analytical and semi-preparative SFC instrumentation enables customer- and application-specific solutions supported by a variety of system configurations. Depending on the set-up, our SFC solutions cover highly sensitive SFC-MS applications, a flexible choice between SFC and LC methodology on a single system, offline or online supercritical fluid extraction and analytical or preparative purification using the patented LotusStream GLS technology.
Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) – chromatography that utilizes pressurized CO2 in the mobile
phase – is seeing a surge in popularity due to its many advantages compared to conventional chromatographic techniques, such as the lower viscosity of the mobile phase that allows use of faster flow rates, resulting in higher throughput with reduced solvent consumption. In addition to the SFC’s green credentials, cost per sample can be cut substantially. It also offers complementary chromatographic selectivity to standard reversed phase LC separations, especially beneficial in the separation of chiral compounds. Also, hyphenation of SFC to mass spectrometry (MS) can lead to a significant increase in sensitivity.
Want to learn more? Order your copy of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography for Dummies. This book offers practical guidance on understanding and applying SFC, highlighting its benefits and modern capabilities.
Green technology using CO2
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- Despite the common misconceptions about "Science Fiction Chromatography", today’s SFC instrumentation is setting new standards with regards to performance and ease of use, making it a reliable, user-friendly addition to the analytical toolbox. Unique hardware innovations make the Nexera UC the state-of-the-art choice for challenging sample separation in a wide range of application areas. This includes chiral screening, pesticide analysis, investigation of biomarkers and determination of polymer additives in the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries.
Innovation lead by collaboration
- The Nextera UC Prep, a next-generation preparative supercritical fluid chromatography system, was developed by Shimadzu in collaboration with the Enabling Technologies Consortium (ETC). ETC, comprised of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, provides a forum for companies to share ideas and expertise on the development of novel, useful technologies according to their scientific needs.
“The Nexera UC Prep system provides improved hardware and software features that answer the pharmaceutical industry’s demand for an efficient and robust prep SFC system.”
- (Mirlinda Biba, PhD, Principal Scientist, Merck & Co. Inc.) -
Unparalleled performance, unparalleled flexibility

Shimadzu has created a comprehensive "Unified Chromatography" system: the Nexera UC.
Unified Chromatography, or UC, characterizes the use of a very wide gradient, from a CO2-rich supercritical/sub-critical mobile phase (SFC) to a completely liquid mobile phase like in liquid chromatography (HPLC). This is a versatile technique that allows separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds in a single analysis. Both the analytical and preparative Nexera UC systems enable customer- and application specific solutions supported by a variety of system configurations.
Explore more solutions for your analysis
Shimadzu offers a broad range of LC and SFC solutions in both analytical and preparative scale, with a variety of optical or MS detectors and suitable software solutions to meet customer requirements.
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Modular HPLC and UHPLC systems with advanced Analytical Intelligence features.
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AI powered HPLC method development software offering DoE and AQbD.
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World-class LC/MS instruments with unique automation features and intuitive software.
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Ease-of-operation in a flexible set-up for preparative LC applications.
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Shimadzu solutions for pharma and biopharma.
Related Documents
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Technical Report
Optimization of analytical SFC conditions, and transfer to preparative scale.
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Technical Report
Method optimization for lipid analysis by SFC in analytical and preparative scale.
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Technical Report
Efficient purification of isomers using SFC with stacked injections.
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Application Note
Analysis of Fat-soluble Vitamins by SFC
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Application Note
Efficient SFC Method Scouting Using LabSolutions MD
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Application Note
Analysis of short-chain oligonucleotides by SFC-MS.