A triple-injection method for microchip electrophoresis

We report here a novel triple injection method for microchip electrophoresis (micro-CE) that results in a higher intensity of DNA peaks. This new method includes a triple-repeated process of a combination of a sample loading voltage and a separation voltage in each interval, namely (loading time) + (separation time) + (loading time) + (separation time) + (loading time), prior to electrophoretic separation. All these injections were electrokinetically controlled by a software. Although the usual sample injection, which included the process of one 60 s electrokinetically application, was limited by the amount of sample, peaks of 40% higher intensity were obtained using the new method within half of the conventional injection time compared to the conventional method. Maximum peak intensity was successfully achieved with integration of the intensities of the triple-repeated peaks by adjusting the application period of the separation voltage. Repetition of the sample loading voltage for an adjusted period with a further adjusted period of separation voltage in each interval may be an effective method for injection of samples that results in peaks with higher intensity.