Hydrogel plug for independent sample and buffer handling in continuous microchip capillary electrophoresis

In microchip capillary electrophoresis most frequently electrokinetic sample injection is utilized, which does not allow pressure driven sample handling and is sensitive for pressure drops due to different reservoir levels. For efficient field tests a multitude of samples have to be processed with the least amount of external equipment. We present the use of a hydrogel plug to separate the sample from clean buffer to enable independent sample change and buffer refreshment. In-situ polymerization of the gel does away with complex membrane fabrication techniques. The sample is electrokinetically injected through the gel and subsequently separated by a voltage between the second gel inlet and the buffer outlet. By blocking of disturbing flows by the gel barrier a well-defined ion plug is obtained. After each experiment, the sample and the separation channel can be flushed independently, allowing for a continuous operation mode in order to process multiple samples.