In Situ Photopolymerization of Functionalized Polyacrylamide-Based Preconcentrators for Highly Sensitive Specific Detection of Various Analytes by Microchip Electrophoresis

Microchip electrophoresis (ME) has emerged as a promising tool for rapid analysis of various sample types and it is one of the most important modules of miniaturized total analysis systems. Electrokinetic effects provide both efficient transport and separation of sample components in microfluidic channels. Moreover, miniaturization of devices drastically reduces reagent consumption, significantly decreases analysis time, and allows for easier parallel screening and automation. However, most microfluidic systems are insensitive, which is a serious problem. In order to increase the sensitivity of ME, several on-line pretreatment applications such as specific and non-specific preconcentration, extraction, and derivatization have been proposed. Here, we review various specific on-line preconcentration methods utilizing in situ photopolymerized polyacrylamide-based preconcentrator gels. These techniques allowed for highly sensitive specific detection of various sample types by ME.