Recent developments in instrumentation for capillary electrophoresis and microchip-capillary electrophoresis

Abstract

Over the last years, there has been an explosion in the number of developments and applications of CE and microchip-CE. In part, this growth has been the direct consequence of recent developments in instrumentation associated with CE. This review, which is focused on the contributions published in the last 5 years, is intended to complement the articles presented in this special issue dedicated to instrumentation and to provide an overview of the general trends and some of the most remarkable developments published in the areas of high-voltage power supplies, detectors, auxiliary components, and compact systems. It also includes a few examples of alternative uses of and modifications to traditional CE instruments.

Figure 1

Experimental set-up used to connect the PEPS with the microchip and the detection system. In this figure, each reservoir is addressed by an individual electrode. Adapted from reference [52].

Figure 2

Instrumental arrangement to perform optical detection using a deep-UV-LED. Adapted from reference [87].

Figure 3

Picture of the mini-ECD (3.6 × 5.0 cm) described in reference [51].

Figure 4

a) Photo of the 14-turn coil used in the construction of the second-generation probe, b) illustration of how the microcoil is mounted on a plastic circuit board for mechanical support, photos of c) first- and d) second-generation probes showing some of the differences in design. The arrows indicate the points where the coil circuit was connected to the tuning capacitor. From reference [174].

Figure 5

Photograph of portable microfluidic device flown on NASA’s microgravity research aircraft. From reference [210].

Figure 6

Picture (left) of the assembled Lab-on-a-Robot containing HVPS, ECD, mobile platform, radiofrequency modem, compass, and GPS. Electropherograms (right) obtained wirelessly with the described lab-on-a-robot. Conditions: 5 mmol·L⁻¹ phosphate buffer (pH=12.0), 1 mmol·L⁻¹ sodium dodecyl sulfate, separation potential 1200 V, t_inj=7s, pulsed amperometric detection. Adapted from reference [229].

Figure 7

Tungsten lamp (left) and SMD resistor (right) used to produce thermal markers. Both figures show the position of the silica capillary with respect to the heating elements. Adapted from reference [248].