Experimental investigation of the electrophoretic separation of biomolecules in a microfluidic system with a phase boundary between two immiscible fluids

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The proposed project aims at the exploration of a new class of methods of electrophoretic separation of biomolecules. In contrast to the standard techniques, electrophoresis will not be conducted in a single-phase fluid, but in a system of stratified liquid layers. By the large surface-to-volume ratio characteristic for microfluidic systems, it is hoped to especially examine the interactions of biomolecules with liquid/liquid interfaces and to assess the suitability of corresponding effects for applications in the field of biomolecular separation. For the planned studies a micro flow cell will be fabricated in which an arrangement of stratified layers of immiscible liquids can be created. The electrophoretic transport of biomolecules driven by electric fields parallel and perpendicular to the layers will be examined. With this work it is hoped to point out new separation methods which may be applied in the context of, e.g., high-throughput analysis of protein samples, and which may be integrated into Lab-on-a-Chip systems.