Comparing polyelectrolyte multilayer-coated PMMA microfluidic devices and glass microchips for electrophoretic separations.

There is a continuing drive in microfluidics to transfer microchip systems from the more expensive glass microchips to cheaper polymer microchips. Here, we investigate using polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) as a coating system for PMMA microchips to improve their functionality. The multilayer system was prepared by layer-to-layer deposition of poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride and polystyrene sulfonate. Practical aspects of coating PMMA microchips were explored. The multilayer buildup process was monitored using EOF measurements, and the stability of the PEM was investigated. The performance of the PEM-PMMA microchip was compared with those of a standard glass microchip and a PEM-glass microchip in terms of EOF and separating two fluorescent dyes. Several key findings in the development of the multilayer coating procedure for PMMA chips are also presented. It was found that, with careful preparation, a PEM-PMMA microchip can be prepared that has properties comparable--and in some cases superior--to those of a standard glass microchip.

Estimation of pK(a) values using microchip capillary electrophoresis and indirect fluorescence detection.

Microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE), coupled with indirect fluorescence detection was investigated for estimating the pK(a) values of non-fluorescent compounds. The CE method is based on the differences in electrophoretic mobility of the analyte as a function of the pH of the running buffer. Nine compounds were tested, including several of pharmaceutical importance, with pK(a) values from 10.3 to 4.6. All buffers contained 5-TAMRA as the fluorescent probe for indirect detection. Calculated pK(a) values agreed well with literature values obtained by traditional methods, differing not more than 0.2 from the literature value. The current work on single lane chips demonstrates the principle of microchip CE with indirect detection as a viable method for estimating pK(a) values. However, increased throughput will be required using a multilane chip to enable the approach to be used practically.