Tuning the electrophoretic separations on a surface-accessible and flexible fibre-based microfluidic devices

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Electrokinetics

Background:

• Electrophoresis on textile substrates utilizes inherent capillary channels for analyte transport.
• Textile-based platforms offer a unique, surface-accessible alternative to traditional chip-based electrofluidic devices.
• Reproducibility can be a challenge due to the nature of fiber structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To precisely optimize experimental conditions for electrophoretic separation on textile substrates.
• To investigate the impact of electric field magnitude, sample concentration, and volume on separation performance.
• To develop a statistical approach for predicting optimal conditions and achieving efficient separation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Box-Behnken response surface design methodology for experimental optimization.
• Employed polyester braided structures as the textile substrate.
• Analyzed the separation resolution of tracer solutes fluorescein (FL) and rhodamine B (Rh-B).

Main Results:

• Identified electric field magnitude, sample concentration, and volume as critical parameters for separation.
• Higher electric fields improved separation for concentrated/large volume samples but increased joule heating and evaporation.
• Optimal conditions were predicted to limit joule heating and enhance separation efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Statistical optimization enables precise control over electrophoretic separations on textile substrates.
• The developed approach facilitates rapid and efficient separation without compromising analysis time.
• This method offers a low-cost, effective solution for analyte separation using simple textile materials.