Determination of inorganic ions using microfluidic devices

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Microfluidics
• Separation Science

Background:

• The 'lab-on-a-chip' concept has transformed electrokinetically driven analysis.
• Microfluidic devices for inorganic ion separation and detection remain under-explored.
• This review consolidates existing literature on inorganic analysis within microfluidic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize and discuss published research on inorganic ion analysis using microfluidic devices.
• To provide an overview of electromigration separation methods applicable to microfluidics.
• To offer insights into future research directions in this field.

Main Methods:

• Review of published literature on microfluidic inorganic ion analysis.
• Discussion of electromigration techniques: isotachophoresis (ITP), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and hyphenated ITP-CE.
• Brief account of flow injection analysis (FIA) in microfluidic contexts.

Main Results:

• Electromigration methods, particularly ITP and CE, are key for inorganic ion separation on microfluidic platforms.
• Hyphenated techniques like ITP-CE offer enhanced separation capabilities.
• Flow injection analysis presents an alternative approach for rapid inorganic analysis.

Conclusions:

• Microfluidic devices hold significant potential for advanced inorganic ion analysis.
• Further research is needed to fully exploit the capabilities of these platforms.
• Future directions may involve integrating novel detection methods and optimizing separation protocols.