Recent developments in electrophoretic separations on microfluidic devices

Abstract

Research combining the areas of separation science and microfluidics has gained popularity, driven by the increasing need to create portable, fast, and low analyte-consumption devices. Much of this research has focused on the developments in electrophoretic separations, which use the electrokinetic properties of analytes to overcome many of the problems encountered during system scale-down. In addition, new physical phenomenon can be exploited on the microscale not available in standard techniques. In this study, the innovative developments, including electrophoretic concentration, sample preparation/conditioning, and separation on-chip are reviewed, along with some introductory discussions, from January 2008 to July 2010.

Polymeric-Based In Vitro Diagnostic Devices

“…Separation techniques such as liquid-phase extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE), liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis (CE), dielectrophoresis (DEP), isoelectric focusing (IEF), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), isotachophoresis (ITP), optical tweezers, magnetic manipulation and capture, acoustic waves and fields, size-based filtration using nanostructures and microstructures filters, and various combinations of flow behaviors have previously been adopted [20,[219][220][221][222][223][224][225][226][227][228][229]. The parameters that can be leveraged for separation include surface charge, polarizability, mass, size, pH value, and various physical, chemical, and immune-conjugation interactions between materials and molecules that can be combined to achieve the best separation performance.…”

Recent advances in microfluidic technologies for biochemistry and molecular biology

“…In this regard, chipbased separation formats are especially powerful (54,55). Advantages of performing electrophoresis on the microscale include improved analytical performance (with respect to both efficiency and resolution), lower sample consumption, system portability, and ultra-short analysis times.…”

“…For example, a monolithically integrated capillary electrophoresis-electrospraying ionization microchip was reported by Sikanen et al to allow mass spectrometric analysis of small molecules and peptides (30). Free flow electrophoresis is a continuous separation technique that utilizes hydrodynamic flow and an applied electric field perpendicular to the flow to separate analytes in flowing streams (54). Recent developments of this method include studies by Bowser and co-workers on the use of free flow electrophoresis in the separation of mitochondria and primary amines (56)(57)(58).…”

Male Infertility and Microchips

“…Prominent applications include protein and nucleic acid electrophoresis (2 ), PCR (3,4 ), and cellular analysis (5 ). Microchip devices have also demonstrated promise in semen analysis as part of the evaluation of male infertility.…”