High resolution separation by pressure-driven liquid chromatography in meander extended nanochannels

Area of Science:

• Nanofluidics
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Growing interest in analyzing minute sample volumes, such as in single-cell analysis.
• Nanofluidics enables the examination of liquids at the attoliter (aL) to femtoliter (fL) scale.
• Traditional microchannels can suffer from band broadening at turns, limiting channel length in confined spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanofluidic device for efficient separation of ultra-small sample volumes.
• To achieve high separation efficiency (theoretical plates) and fast separation times.
• To demonstrate the utility of extended nanochannels for precise liquid handling.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pressure-driven flow in extended nanochannels (1 μm wide).
• Designed a meander separation channel to minimize band broadening at turns.
• Separated a 10(1) fL sample volume.

Main Results:

• Achieved normal phase separation of a 10(1) fL sample.
• Obtained a high number of theoretical plates (10(3) plates).
• Demonstrated fast separation in 4 seconds with no band broadening at channel turns.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanofluidic device enables fast and efficient separation of ultra-small sample volumes.
• The meander nanochannel design overcomes limitations of microchannels regarding band broadening.
• This technology serves as a versatile platform for separating aL to fL volumes, applicable to single-cell analysis and beyond.