Capillary electrophoresis in organic polymer capillaries

Organic polymer capillaries offer great potentials in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Polybutyleneterephthalate (PBTP), ethylene/vinylacetate, polymethylmethacrylate, and nylon were tested for their suitability as column material in CE. Because the surface properties of organic polymer capillaries are completely different from fused silica, other binding techniques for coatings need to be used. For example, on the surface of PBTP, amino functions were introduced, which resulted in a reversed electroosmotic flow (EOF) at low pH values. Highly efficient separations of proteins were achieved by coating nylon with hydroxyethylcellulose. Examples of the application of protein/peptide analysis in various organic polymer capillaries with and without modification are shown.