Capillary electrophoresis is a separation technique that has been very successful in the analysis of DNA fragments and other biomolecules.
CE Process
In capillary electrophoresis, small amounts of fluids are injected into a separation channel by using plug injection. Substances are separated based on their electrophoretic mobility, which is proportional to their charge to size ratio.
In the movie shown right, an example is given of injection of a tiny fluorescent fluid plug into a 50 µm wide separation channel.
Advantages
Capillary electrophoresis with microfluidic chips offers advantages over traditional CE. Having an integrated injection structure enables injection of much smaller volumes than would be possible in standard CE. This means the separation channels can be very short (a few centimeters) for certain applications, which results in much faster analysis. An additional advantage of using chips is that the detection can be integrated in the chip.
Capillary Electrophoresis ChipsDifferent CE chips with or without integrated electrodes.
Capillary Electrophoresis Kit (EOF 9015) Microfluidic tool kit for on-chip capillary electrophoresis.
On-chip Electrophoresis Devices: Do's, Dont's and DoomsTips and tricks for working with on-chip capillary electrophoresis (published at the website of RSC's Lab on a Chip magazine).