Preparation and characterization of a stable polyacrylamide sieving matrix-filled capillary for high-performance...

A stable sieving matrix of polyacrylamide filled in a capillary was developed. The inner wall of a fused-silica capillary was covalently bonded with a linear polyacrylamide through Si-C linkages, in which cross-linked polyacrylamide gel or linear polyacrylamide solution was filled. The stability of the coating was examined by exposure of the capillaries to alkaline buffer (pH 8) for up to 30 days. Compared with the coatings with linear polyacrylamide bonded through siloxane linkages, the present capillary markedly reduced the electroosmotic flow. Thus, the sieving matrix in the capillary was stabilized, resulting in a prolonged lifetime of the capillary and good reproducibility of separations. The migration behaviours of oligonucleotides were compared for the cross-linked gel and linear polyacrylamide solution at the same concentration.