<br/>Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has particularly distinguished itself from other chromatographic techniques in the realm of bioanalytical separations. The flexibility of the mobile phase composition, the speed of the analysis, and the variety of separation and detection techniques all build CE’s appeal for bioseparations. However, one factor works against CE, the adsorptive nature of the silica surface, particularly towards cationic proteins. Not only is the adsorption of a protein to the surface detrimental to the immediate analysis, the impact carries onto the next separations, where the change in the surface charge alters the electroosmotic flow (EOF), and thus the separations.<br/><br/>This work will present some of the methods employed by the Harrison lab to both mitigate unwanted surface adsorption as well as showing how the EOF can be tuned with the proper control of these protective coatings. Principle to the work done in the Harrison lab has been for the modifications to the capillary surface to be rapid and easy to perform reproducibly. This has been achieved principally through the use of phospholipid bilayer coatings. Our work has explored how the incorporation of metal cations, other than the traditional calcium, will alter the magnitude of the EOF. We are also employing the rapid equilibration of the metal cations to explore novel means of performing sample stacking. More recently we have begun investigating how low concentrations of fluorine can be used, not as an etchant, but rather as a means of drastically modifying the silica surface.

Versatile capillary surface modifications for protein separation

251st National Meeting (2016)

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