ITP of lanthanides in microfluidic PMMA chip

Electrophoresis. 2014 Mar;35(5):646-53. doi: 10.1002/elps.201300382. Epub 2013 Dec 27.

Abstract

An ITP separation of eight lanthanides on a serpentine PMMA microchip with a tee junction and a 230-mm-long serpentine channel is described. The cover of the PMMA chip is 175 μm thick so that a C(4) D in microchip mode can be used to detect the lanthanides as they migrate through the microchannel. Acetate and α-hydroxyisobutyric acid are used as complexing agents to increase the electrophoretic mobility difference between the lanthanides. Eight lanthanides are concentrated within ∼ 6 min by ITP in the microchip using 10 mM ammonium acetate at pH 4.5 as the leading electrolyte and 10 mM acetic acid at ∼ pH 3.0 as the terminating electrolyte. In addition, a 2D numerical simulation of the lanthanides undergoing ITP in the microchip is compared with experimental results using COMSOL Multiphysics v4.3a.

Keywords: 2D simulation; COMSOL Multiphysics; ITP; Lanthanides separation; Micro- fluidics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetates / chemistry
  • Computer Simulation
  • Electrophoresis, Microchip / instrumentation*
  • Electrophoresis, Microchip / methods*
  • Equipment Design
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Hydroxybutyrates / chemistry
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements / isolation & purification*
  • Polymethyl Methacrylate
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Substances

  • Acetates
  • Hydroxybutyrates
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements
  • Polymethyl Methacrylate
  • 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid
  • ammonium acetate