Design of low voltage-driven capillary electrophoresis chips using moving electrical fields

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been implemented into microchip devices, i.e. CE chips, and applied in biochemistry and biology. High applied voltages are needed to generate the necessary high electric field strength for separating biological samples. This study reports on detailed designs for low voltage-driven CE chips using moving electrical fields for DNA separation based upon experimental DNA separation results. Partitioning the separation channel into many smaller separation zones using electrode pairs can lower the applied voltage but maintain electric field strength to separate the samples. iginal separation length was partitioned into many separation zones using arrayed-electrodes. These separation zones have certain overlapped regions for DNA fragments to be driven and separated continuously from one zone into next zone when these electrode pairs are switched on and off in series. s study, a moving electric field method was used to reduce the calculated applied voltage by up to one-fifth the required voltage to generate identical electric field strength. The maximum difference in migration velocity among the DNA fragments limits how far the new applied driven voltage can be decreased. This work has demonstrated techniques for designing low voltage-driven capillary electrophoresis microchips using moving electrical fields.