High performance microfluidic capillary electrophoresis devices

Abstract

This paper presents a novel microfluidic capillary electrophoresis (CE) device featuring a double-T-form injection system and an expansion chamber located at the inlet of the separation channel. This study addresses the principal material transport mechanisms depending on parameters such as the expansion ratio, the expansion length, the fluid flow. Its design utilizes a double-L injection technique and combines the expansion chamber to minimize the sample leakage effect and to deliver a high-quality sample plug into the separation channel so that the detection performance of the device is enhanced. Experimental and numerical testing of the proposed microfluidic device that integrates an expansion chamber located at the inlet of the separation channel confirms its ability to increase the separation efficiency by improving the sample plug shape and orientation. The novel microfluidic capillary electrophoresis device presented in this paper has demonstrated a sound potential for future use in high-quality, high-throughput chemical analysis applications and throughout the micro-total-analysis systems field.