Electroosmotic flow pumps

A. Macia, E. BormU, C. Aguilar and M. Calull, Improving sensitivity by large-volume sample stacking using the electroosmotic flow pump to analyze some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by capillary electrophoresis in water samples. Electrophoresis, 24, 2779-2787, 2003. 

Zeng S et al (2002) Electroosmotic flow pumps with polymer frits. Sens Actuators B Chem 82 209-212... 

Kawai, T., et ah, 2010. Microchip electrophoresis of oligosaccharides using large-volume sample stacking with an electroosmotic flow pump in a single channel. Anal. Chem. 82 (15), 6504-6511. Available at http //www.ncbi.nkn.nih.gov/pubmed/20586466. 

Capillary Electrochromatography Another approach to separating neutral species is capillary electrochromatography (CEC). In this technique the capillary tubing is packed with 1.5-3-pm silica particles coated with a bonded, nonpolar stationary phase. Neutral species separate based on their ability to partition between the stationary phase and the buffer solution (which, due to electroosmotic flow, is the mobile phase). Separations are similar to the analogous HPLC separation, but without the need for high-pressure pumps, furthermore, efficiency in CEC is better than in HPLC, with shorter analysis times. 

Electroosmotic flow in a capillary also makes it possible to analyze both cations and anions in the same sample. The only requirement is that the electroosmotic flow downstream is of a greater magnitude than electrophoresis of the oppositely charged ions upstream. Electro osmosis is the preferred method of generating flow in the capillary, because the variation in the flow profile occurs within a fraction of Kr from the wall (49). When electro osmosis is used for sample injection, differing amounts of analyte can be found between the sample in the capillary and the uninjected sample, because of different electrophoretic mobilities of analytes (50). Two other methods of generating flow are with gravity or with a pump. 

Electroosmotic flow (EOE) is thus the mechanism by which liquids are moved from one end of the sepai ation capillai y to the other, obviating the need for mechanical pumps and valves. This makes this technique very amenable to miniaturization, as it is fai simpler to make an electrical contact to a chip via a wire immersed in a reservoir than to make a robust connection to a pump. More important, however, is that all the basic fluidic manipulations that a chemist requires for microchip electrophoresis, or any other liquid handling for that matter, have been adapted to electrokinetic microfluidic chips. 

Liquid transport is achieved by hydrostatic action, pumping or electroosmotic flow (EOF). So far, chip reactors have been employed at low to very low flow rates, e.g. from 1 ml min to 1 pi min. Applications consequently were restricted to the laboratory-scale or even solely to analytics. However, this is not intrinsic. By choosing larger internal dimensions, similar throughputs as for the other classes of liquid or liquid/liquid micro reactors are in principle achievable. 

P 38] Ethanol solutions of ethyl propiolate and diisopropylethylamine were pumped via electroosmotic flow through the micro channels of the reactor [8], By mixing thereof the enolate was obtained. By subsequent contacting with the 1,3-dicarbonyl compound, the product was obtained. The temperature was set to room temperature. In a period of 20 min a volume sufficiently large for analysis was sampled. The reaction product spectra was analyzed by GC/MS via comparison with synthetic standards. The remaining amount of diketone was used for calculating conversions. 

Among the most important fluid handling components in an LOC are pumps and valves. There are two main methods by which fluid actuation through microchannels can be achieved pressure driven and electroosmotic flow. In pressure driven flow, the fluid is... 

Since the driving force of the flow is uniformly distributed across the diameter of the capillary, the flow profile is essentially flat. This flat profile contributes to the very high separation efficiency of CZE. Electroosmotic pumping therefore is beneficial, in contrast to laminar flow generated by a HPLC pump, where a parabolic flow profile is established. The electroosmotic flow rate and its flat profile are generally independent of the capillary diameter. However, if the internal diameter of the capillary exceeds 250 pun, the flat profile is increasingly disrupted. 

In an electric field, cations are attracted to the cathode and anions are attracted to the anode (Figure 26-20b). Excess cations in the diffuse part of the double layer impart net momentum toward the cathode. This pumping action, called electroosmosis (or electroen-dosmosis), is driven by cations within — lOnm of the walls and creates uniform pluglike electroosmotic flow of the entire solution toward the cathode (Figure 26-21a). This process is in sharp contrast with hydrodynamic flow, which is driven by a pressure difference. In hydro-... 

Cations striking a cathode liberate electrons. A series of dynodes multiplies the number of electrons by 105 before they reach the anode, electroosmosis Bulk flow of fluid in a capillary tube induced by an electric field. Mobile ions in the diffuse part of the double layer at the wall of the capillary serve as the pump. Also called electroendosmosis. electroosmotic flow Uniform, pluglike flow of fluid in a capillary tube under the influence of an electric field. The greater the charge on the wall of the capillary, the greater the number of counterions in the double layer and the stronger the electroosmotic flow. 

Electroosmotic pumps lack mechanical parts and specific localization in the manifold, producing an even electroosmotic flow. Besides, the flow in interconnected and branched channels can be controlled by switching voltages only. Just two decades ago electroosmotic pumps were attractive and feasible ways for mobile phase flow into microfluidic devices [13] but in the 1990s the conventional pumps available showed a major problem with the high pressures... 

Electric fields may interact with flows fed by hydrostatic or pumping action [91]. Flows driven by electroosmotic means may be mixed as well by the action of fluctuating electric fields, which creates oscillating electroosmotic flows and has been termed electrokinetic instability (EKI) [25, 93], In this way, rapid stretching and folding of material lines are induced, not unlike the effect of stirring. In one realized example, comparatively low frequencies, below -100 Hz, and electric field strengths in excess of 100 V mm1 are applied for channels with dimensions of about 50 pm [25],... 

Nelstrop, L.J., Greenwood, P.A., Greenway, G.M., An investigation of electroosmotic flow and pressure pumped luminol chemiluminescence detection for cobalt analysis in a miniaturised total analytical system. Labchip 2001, 1, 138-142. 

This vial could be placed in two positions by the inlet lift. In the lower position of the lift, EOF driven isocratic and gradient CEC was possible. The solvent was delivered by the pump to the vial through the inner channel and removed via the outer channel using a pressure of nitrogen (right panel of Fig. 2.11). The resistance of the outlet restrictor was low. The pressure in the vial equaled the external gas pressure and was the same in the outlet vial. In this way, no hydraulic flow was generated and bubble formation was suppressed. The column continuously accepted the delivered solvent from the vial by electroosmotic flow. In this position, the flow delivered by the external pump must be low to avoid solvent overflow in the vial. 

Fig. 6.20. Schematics for the preparation of monolithic capillary columns. First, the bare capillary is filled with the polymerization mixture (step a) that contains functional monomer, crosslinking monomer, initiator, and porogenic solvent. Polymerization (step b) is then initiated thermally or by UV irradiation to afford a rigid monolithic porous polymer. The resulting monolith within the capillary is washed (step c) with the mobile phase using a pump or electroosmotic flow and used as for the CEC separations.

Asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones and aldehydes is important because the cyanohydrin product can be easily converted into optically active aminoalcohols by reduction. Moberg, Haswell and coworkers reported on a microflow version of the catalytic cyanosilylation of aldehydes using Pybox [5]/lanthanoid triflates as the catalyst for chiral induction. A T-shaped borosilicate microreactor with channel dimensions of 100 pm X 50 pm was used in this study [6]. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) was employed to pump an acetonitrile solution of phenyl-Pybox, LnCl3 and benzal-dehyde (reservoir A) and an acetonitrile solution of TMSCN (reservoir B). LuC13-catalyzed microflow reactions gave similar enantioselectivity to that observed in analogous batch reactions. However, lower enantioselectivity was observed for the YbCl3-catalyzed microflow reactions than that observed for the batch reaction (Scheme 4.5). It is possible that the oxophilic Yb binds to the silicon oxide surface of the channels. 

Alternatively, electroosmotic pumping could be used in this application. For generation of electroosmosis it is necessary to apply an electric voltage at both ends of the column. However, when we used electroosmotic flow instead of a pressurized pumping method, we encountered several problems. The hardest problem was evolution of gas at the electrode due to electrolysis. Elimination of this gas from the chromatographic system was one of the key challenges we faced in designing our system. 

Electroosmotic flow is the most popular of the electrokinetic pumping techniques. One of the main reasons for its popularity with microfluidic... 

A variation of gradient CEC is pressurized-flow CEC or PEC (pressurized flow electrochromatography). A pump forms the gradient and then allows part of this pressurized flow to pump the mobile phase through the packed bed. In this way, one can perform isocratic or gradient CEC with part of the mobile-phase driving force being pumped, part electrophoretic and part electroosmotic flows [1,8,10]. 

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