Small-angle optical deflection from collinear configuration for sensitive detection in microfluidic systems

This paper describes a novel detection system based on small-angle optical deflection from the collinear configuration of a microfluidic chip. In this system, the incident light beam was focused on the microchannel through the edge of a lens, resulting in a small deflection angle that deviated 20° from the collinear configuration. The emitted fluorescence was collected through the center of the same lens and delivered to a photomultiplier tube in the vertical direction; the reflection light of the chip plate was kept away from the detector. In contrast to traditional confocal and nonconfocal laser-induced fluorescence detection systems, background levels resulting from scattered excitation light, reflection and refraction from the microchip was significantly eliminated. Significant enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio was obtained by shaping a laser beam that combined an attenuator with a spectral filter to optimize laser power and the dimensions of the laser beam. FITC and FITC-labeled amino acid were used as model analytes to demonstrate the performance sensitivity, separation efficiency, and reproducibility of this detection system by using a hybrid polydimethylsiloxane/glass microfluidic device. The limit of detection of FITC was estimated to be 2 pM (0.55 zmol) (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the single cell analysis for the determination of intracellular glutathione in a single 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell was demonstrated. The results suggest that the proposed optical arrangements will be promising for development of sensitive, low-cost microfluidic systems.     

A PDMS sheath flow cuvette for high‐sensitivity LIF measurements in CE

A simple method for producing a sheath flow cuvette in PDMS suitable for post‐column detection in CE is described. Two types of cuvette were investigated. In the first, the sheath flow channel had a round cross‐section of approximately 635 μm diameter, whereas the second cuvette had a 300×300 μm² square channel. Both cuvettes produced laminar flows that ensheathed the separation capillary's effluent allowing sensitive fluorescence measurements. The elasticity of the PDMS allowed the 300×300 μm² square sheath flow channel to expand uniformly and accommodate the larger 330–340 μm od round separation capillary, producing a self‐aligning cuvette with robust mechanical properties. With this cuvette, linear calibrations of over five orders of magnitude and 15–30 zmol fluorescein detection limits were obtained for 12 and 50 μm id capillaries.     

Sensitive determination of sulfonamides in environmental water by capillary electrophoresis coupled with both silvering detection window and in‐capillary optical fiber light‐emitting diode‐induced fluorescence detector

A new detector, silvering detection window and in‐capillary optical fiber light‐emitting diode‐induced fluorescence detector (SDW‐ICOF‐LED‐IFD), is introduced for capillary electrophoresis (CE). The strategy of the work was that half surface of the detection window was coated with silver mirror, which could reflect the undetected fluorescence to the photomultiplier tube to be detected, consequently enhancing the detection sensitivity. Sulfonamides (SAs) are important antibiotics that achieved great applications in many fields. However, they pose a serious threat on the environment and human health when they enter into the environment. The SDW‐ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE system was used to determine fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐labeled sulfadoxine (SDM), sulfaguanidine (SGD) and sulfamonomethoxine sodium (SMM‐Na) in environmental water. The detection results obtained by the SDW‐ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE system were compared to those acquired by the CE with in‐capillary optical fiber light‐emitting diode‐induced fluorescence detection (ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE). The limits of detection (LODs) of SDW‐ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE and ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE were 1.0–2.0 nM and 2.5–7.7 nM (S/N = 3), respectively. The intraday (n = 6) and interday (n = 6) precision of migration time and corresponding peak area for both types of CE were all less than 0.86% and 3.68%, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was judged by employing standard addition method, and recoveries obtained were in the range of 92.5–102.9%. The results indicated that the sensitivity of the SDW‐ICOF‐LED‐IFD‐CE system was improved, and that its reproducibility and accuracy were satisfactory. It was successfully applied to analyze SAs in environmental water.     

A new evaluation technique for the detection of impurities in purified proteins via CE with native UV‐LIF

An analytical methodology for quality control analyses of IgG and their impurities is presented using a new UV‐LIF (266 nm) detector inside the cassette of a CE instrument and its performance was evaluated. The observed sensitivity was very close to that obtained by silver staining of slab gels (LOD of 25 ng/mL), while the sensitivity of the analysis is 80 times better than with CE/UV absorption (214 nm). Examples of the analysis of pharmaceutical and other commercial IgGs are provided and the kinetics of the reduction of IgG by β‐mercaptoethanol is reported, demonstrating the ease of performing the analysis.     

Continuous intact cell detection and viability determination by CE with dual‐wavelength detection

We introduce here a method for continuous intact cell detection and viability determination of individual trypan blue stained cells by CE with ultraviolet–visible dual‐wavelength detection. To avoid cell aggregation or damage during electrophoresis, cells after staining were fixed with 4% formaldehyde and were continuously introduced into the capillary by EOF. The absorbance of a cell at 590 nm was used to determine its viability. An absorbance of two milli‐absorbance unit at 590 nm was the clear cut‐off point for living and dead Hela cells in our experiments. Good viability correlation between the conventional trypan blue staining assay and our established CE method (correlation coefficient, R²=0.9623) was demonstrated by analysis of cell mixtures with varying proportions of living and dead cells. The CE method was also used to analyze the cytotoxicity of methylmercury, and the results were in good agreement with the trypan blue staining assay and 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide methods. Compared with the 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide method, our established CE method can be easily automated to report cell viability based on the state of individual cells. Tedious manual cell counting and human error due to investigator bias can be avoided by using this method.     

Highly multiplex and sensitive SNP genotyping method using a three‐color fluorescence‐labeled ligase detection reaction coupled with conformation‐sensitive CE

For the development of clinically useful genotyping methods for SNPs, accuracy, simplicity, sensitivity, and cost‐effectiveness are the most important criteria. Among the methods currently being developed for SNP genotyping technology, the ligation‐dependent method is considered the simplest for clinical diagnosis. However, sensitivity is not guaranteed by the ligation reaction alone, and analysis of multiple targets is limited by the detection method. Although CE is an attractive alternative to error‐prone hybridization‐based detection, the multiplex assay process is complicated because of the size‐based DNA separation principle. In this study, we employed the ligase detection reaction coupled with high‐resolution CE‐SSCP to develop an accurate, sensitive, and simple multiplex genotyping method. Ligase detection reaction could amplify ligated products through recurrence of denaturation and ligation reaction, and SSCP could separate these products according to each different structure conformation without size variation. Thus, simple and sensitive SNP analysis can be performed using this method involving the use of similar‐sized probes, without complex probe design steps. We found that this method could not only accurately discriminate base mismatches but also quantitatively detect 37 SNPs of the tp53 gene, which are used as targets in multiplex analysis, using three‐color fluorescence‐labeled probes.     

A simple fabrication method for tapered capillary tip and its applications in high‐speed CE and ESI‐MS

Fabrication of capillaries with tapered tips is an important technique that is required in many analytical chemistry areas, such as ESI‐MS, CE, electrochemical analysis, and microinjection. This paper describes a simple and effective grinding‐based fabrication method for capillaries with tapered tips. A novel grinding mode utilizing the combination of rotation and precession of an elastic capillary was developed, which significantly improved the controllability to the grinding process as well as the capillary tip shape. The capillary was fabricated by fixing it in an electric drill installed perpendicularly, and grind the capillary tip rotated around its own axis as well as the drill axis on sandpapers. Compared with conventional fabrication techniques for capillary tips, the present method is easy to control the capillary tip shape in routine laboratories without the requirement of expensive equipments or poisonous reagent (e.g. hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution). Various capillaries with different tip diameters and tip taper angles could be fabricated using the present method with good controllability and reproducibility. These capillaries were applied in high‐speed CE and ESI‐MS analysis to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of this fabrication method.     

A novel pathogen detection system based on high‐resolution CE‐SSCP using a triblock copolymer matrix

Although CE‐SSCP analysis combined with 16S ribosomal RNA gene‐specific PCR has enormous potential as a simple and versatile pathogen detection technique, low resolution of CE‐SSCP causes the limited application. Among the experimental conditions affecting the resolution, the polymer matrix is considered to be most critical to improve the resolution of CE‐SSCP analysis. However, due to the peak broadening caused by the interaction between hydrophobic moiety of polymer matrices and DNA, conventional polymer matrices are not ideal for CE‐SSCP analysis. A poly(ethyleneoxide)‐poly(propyleneoxide)‐poly(ethyleneoxide) (PEO‐PPO‐PEO) triblock copolymer, with dynamic coating ability and a propensity to form micelles to minimize exposure of hydrophobic PPO block to DNA, can be an alternative matrix. In this study, we examined the resolution of CE‐SSCP analysis using the PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer as the polymer matrix and four same‐sized DNA fragments of similar sequence content. Among 48 commercially available PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymers, three were selected due to their transparency in the operable range of viscosity and PEO₁₃₇PPO₄₃PEO₁₃₇ exhibited the most effective separation. Significant improvement in resolution allowed discrimination of the similar sequences, thus greatly facilitated CE‐SSCP analysis compared to the conventional polymer matrix. The results indicate that PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer may serve as an ideal matrix for high‐resolution CE‐SSCP analysis.     

Lamp‐based wavelength‐resolved fluorescence detection for protein capillary electrophoresis: Setup and detector performance

A lamp‐based fluorescence detection (Flu) system for CE was extended with a wavelength‐resolved (WR) detector to allow recording of full protein emission spectra. WRFlu was achieved using a fluorescence cell that employs optical fibres to lead excitation light from a Xe‐Hg lamp to the capillary window and protein fluorescence emission to a spectrograph equipped with a CCD. A 280 nm band pass filter etc. together with a 300 nm short pass cut‐off filter was used for excitation. A capillary cartridge was modified to hold the detection cell in a commercial CE instrument enabling WRFlu in routine CE. The performance of the WRFlu detection was evaluated and optimised using lysozyme as model protein. Based on reference spectral data, a signal‐intensity adjustment was introduced to correct for transmission losses in the detector optics that occurred for lower protein emission wavelengths. CE‐WRFlu of lysozyme was performed using BGEs of 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.5 or 3.0) and a charged‐polymer coated capillary. Using the 3‐D data set, signal averaging over time and emission‐wavelength intervals was carried out to improve the S/N of emission spectra and electropherograms. The detection limit for lysozyme was 21 nM, providing sufficient sensitivity to obtain spectral information on protein impurities.     

Design and evaluation of capillary coupled with optical fiber light‐emitting diode induced fluorescence detection for capillary electrophoresis

A new detector, capillary coupled with optical fiber LED‐induced fluorescence detector (CCOF‐LED‐IFD, using CCOF for short), is introduced for CE. The strategy of the present work was that the optical fiber and separation capillary were, in the parallel direction, fastened in a fixation capillary with larger inner diameter. By employing larger inner diameter, the fixation capillary allowed the large diameter of the optical fiber to be inserted into it. By transmitting an enhanced excitation light through the optical fiber, the detection sensitivity was improved. The advantages of the CCOF‐CE system were validated by the detection of riboflavin, and the results were compared to those obtained by the in‐capillary common optical fiber LED‐induced fluorescence detector (IC‐COF‐LED‐IFD, using COF for short). The LODs of CCOF‐CE and COF‐CE were 0.29 nM and 11.0 nM (S/N = 3), respectively. The intraday (n = 6) repeatability and interday (n = 6) reproducibility of migration time and corresponding peak area for both types of CE were all less than 1.10 and 3.30%, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was judged by employing standard addition method, and recoveries obtained were in the range of 98.0–102.4%. The results indicated that the sensitivity of the proposed system was largely improved, and that its reproducibility and accuracy were satisfactory. The proposed system was successfully applied to separate and determine riboflavin in real sample.     

Assay of urinary 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine by capillary electrophoresis with spectrophotometric detection using a high‐sensitivity detection cell and solid‐phase extraction

A sensitive capillary electrophoretic method featuring spectrophotometric detection using a commercial Z‐cell was devised for the assay of 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) in human urine. Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) based on hydrophilic‐lipophilic‐balanced RP sorbent was utilized for urine sample pretreatment and analyte preconcentration. The separation was carried out in conventional fused‐silica capillaries employing a Z‐cell with hydrodynamic sample injection (at 50 mbar for 12 s). The BGE (pH* 9.2, adjusted with 1 M NaOH) contained 0.15 M boric acid and 10% v/v ACN. The detection wavelength was 282 nm. The calibration curve for 8OHdG (measured in spiked urine) was linear in the range 10–1000 ng/mL; R² = 0.9993. The LOD was 3 ng/mL (11 nmol/L) of 8OHdG. Determination of the 8OHdG urinary levels was possible even in healthy individuals.     

Boron‐chelating fluorescent probe (BOPB) in the red region combined with CE‐LIF for the detection of NO in mice liver

Precise measurement of nitric oxide (NO) is of great importance to understand the function of NO in liver and the mechanism of liver injury. 8‐(3’,4’‐Diamino phenyl)‐3,5‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐dimethylene pyrrole (BOPB), a fluorescent probe in the red region (>600 nm) newly developed in our group, has good photostability and excitation/emission wavelength of 622/643 nm matching well with commercial 635 nm semiconductor laser of CE‐LIF detection. Therefore, BOPB was used in CE‐LIF for the determination of NO in mice liver. Both derivatization and separation conditions were optimized. Derivatization reaction of BOPB and NO was carried out in pH 7.4 PBS buffer at 35°C for 12 min and the separation of NO derivative of BOPB (BOPB‐T) was achieved within 7.0 min in pH 9.0 running buffer containing 15 mM H₃BO₃–NaOH and 15 mM SDS. Good linearity was found in the range of 1.0 × 10^?9–5.0 × 10^?7 M with the LOD of 0.02 nM. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of NO in real samples, and NO concentration was obviously increased in acute liver injury of mice. Compared to existing derivatization‐based CE‐LIF methods for NO, this method has lower LOD and less background interference owing to detection wavelength of BOPB in the red region.     

A simple and sensitive CE method for the simultaneous determination of catecholamines in urine with in-column optical fiber light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection

A simple and sensitive method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of three catecholamines: dopamine (DA), epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NE) in urine by capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with in-column fiber-optic light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (ICFO-LED-IFD). Fluorescein isothiocyanate was used as the fluorescence tagged reagent for derivatization of DA, EP and NE. The CE conditions for separation of these catecholamines were systematically investigated. It was found that catecholamines could be more effectively separated by adding β-cyclodextin (β-CD) and acetonitrile (ACN) to a background electrolyte (BGE) of sodium borate. The migration times are 10.61, 10.83 and 11.14 min for DA, EP and NE, respectively and the catecholamines are completely separated within 11.5 min under the optimal condition of a BGE containing 10% v/v ACN, 20 mM β-CD and 20 mM sodium borate (pH 9.5), and an applied voltage of 13 kV. The relative standard deviations of migration time and peak area for these catecholamines are less than 0.16 and 2.0%, respectively. The limit of quantifications (LOQs) for DA, EP and NE are 3.5, 1.0 and 3.1 nM whereas the limit of detections (LODs) for DA, EP and NE are 1.0, 0.3 and 0.9 nM, respectively. Our proposed CE method provides low LOQ and LOD values. This CE-ICFO-LED-IFD methodology has been successfully applied to analyze catecholamines in human urine samples with good accuracy and satisfactory recovery.     

A simple and compact fluorescence detection system for capillary electrophoresis and its application to food analysis

A novel fluorescence detection system for CE was described and evaluated. Two miniature laser pointers were used as the excitation source. A Y‐style optical fiber was used to transmit the excitation light and a four‐branch optical fiber was used to collect the fluorescence. The optical fiber and optical filter were imported into a photomultiplier tube without any extra fixing device. A simplified PDMS detection cell was designed with guide channels through which the optical fibers were easily aligned to the detection window of separation capillary. According to different requirements, laser pointers and different filters were selected by simple switching and replacement. The fluorescence from four different directions was collected at the same detecting point. Thus, the sensitivity was enhanced without peak broadening. The fluorescence detection system was simple, compact, low‐cost, and highly sensitive, with its functionality demonstrated by the separation and determination of red dyes and fluorescent whitening agents. The detection limit of rhodamine 6G was 7.7 nM (S/N = 3). The system was further applied to determine illegal food dyes. The CE system is potentially eligible for food safety analysis.     

Fast,simple, and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography method for measuring vitamins A and E in human blood plasma

Vitamins A and E are fat‐soluble vitamins that play important roles in several physiological processes. Monitoring their concentrations is needed to detect deficiency and guide therapy. In this study, we developed a high‐performance liquid chromatography method to measure the major forms of vitamin A (retinol) and vitamin E (α‐tocopherol and γ‐tocopherol) in human blood plasma. Vitamins A and E were extracted with hexane and separated on a reversed‐phase column using methanol as the mobile phase. Retinol was detected by ultraviolet absorption, whereas tocopherols were detected by fluorescence emission. The chromatographic cycle time was 4.0 min per sample. The analytical measurement range was 0.03–5.14, 0.32–36.02, and 0.10–9.99 mg/L for retinol, α‐tocopherol, and γ‐tocopherol, respectively. Intr‐aassay and total coefficient of variation were <6.0% for all compounds. This method was traceable to standard reference materials offered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Reference intervals were established using plasma samples collected from 51 healthy adult donors and were found to be 0.30–1.20, 6.0–23.0, and 0.3–3.2 mg/L for retinol, α‐tocopherol, and γ‐tocopherol, respectively. In conclusion, we developed and validated a fast, simple, and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography method for measuring the major forms of vitamins A and E in human plasma.     

Simultaneous determination of four trace estrogens in feces,leachate, tap and groundwater using solid–liquid extraction/auto solid‐phase extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A simple and selective high‐performance liquid chromatography method coupled with fluorescence detection was developed for the simultaneous measurement of trace levels of four estrogens (estrone, estradiol, estriol and 17α‐ethynyl estradiol) in environmental matrices. For feces samples, solid–liquid extraction was applied with a 1:1 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent. For liquid samples (e.g., leachate and groundwater), hydrophobic/lipophilic balanced automated solid‐phase extraction disks were selected due to their high recoveries compared to conventional C₁₈ disks. Chromatographic separations were performed on a reversed‐phase C₁₈ column gradient‐eluted with a 45:55 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and water. The detection limits were down to 1.1 × 10^?2 (estrone), 4.11 × 10^?4 (estradiol), 5.2 × 10^?3 (estriol) and 7.18 × 10^?3 μg/L (17α‐ethynyl estradiol) at excitation/emission wavelengths of 288/310 nm, with recoveries in the range of 96.9 ± 3.2–105.4 ± 3.2% (n = 3). The method was successfully applied to determine estrogens in feces and water samples collected at livestock farms and a major river in Northeast China. We observed relatively high abundance and widespread distribution of all four estrogens in our sample collections, implying the urgency for a comprehensive and intricate investigation of estrogenic fate and contamination in our researched area.     

Ionic liquid foam floatation coupled with ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the separation and determination of estrogens in water samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

An ionic liquid foam floatation coupled with ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was proposed for the extraction and concentration of 17‐α‐estradiol, 17‐β‐estradiol‐benzoate, and quinestrol in environmental water samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. 1‐Hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate was applied as foaming agent in the foam flotation process and dispersive solvent in microextraction. The introduction of the ion‐pairing and salting‐out agent NH₄PF₆ was beneficial to the improvement of recoveries for the hydrophobic ionic liquid phase and analytes. Parameters of the proposed method including concentration of 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, flow rate of carrier gas, floatation time, types and concentration of ionic liquids, salt concentration in samples, extraction time, and centrifugation time were evaluated. The recoveries were between 98 and 105% with relative standard deviations lower than 7% for lake water and well water samples. The isolation of the target compounds from the water was found to be efficient, and the enrichment factors ranged from 4445 to 4632. This developing method is free of volatile organic solvents compared with regular extraction. Based on the unique properties of ionic liquids, the application of foam floatation, and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was widened.     

Use of different buffers for detection and separation in determination of physio‐active components in oolong tea infusion by CZE with amperometric detection

With a view of simultaneous determination of physio‐active ingredients in oolong tea infusion: sugars, amino acids, epigallocatechin gallate and ascorbic acid, a novel CZE with amperometric detection method was studied. Operated in a wall‐jet configuration, 100 mmol/L NaOH was used in detecting cell to lead the electrocatalysis oxidation behaviors of the analytes on a 300 μm diameter copper‐disc electrode (working electrode), while in separating capillary, a mild alkaline running buffer consisting in a mixture of 30 mmol/L borate and 40 mmol/L phosphates charged and carried analytes to detecting end. The methodology research was performed for system stability and suitability. Under the optimal CE conditions, analytes could be separated within moderate time period. Good linearity between peak area and concentration existed over three orders of magnitude; lower RSD and LOD were achieved. The oolong tea infusion was assayed and result was satisfactory.     

Determination of bisphenol A, 4‐octylphenol,and 4‐nonylphenol in soft drinks and dairy products by ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with derivatization and high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A novel hyphenated method based on ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled to precolumn derivatization has been established for the simultaneous determination of bisphenol A, 4‐octylphenol, and 4‐nonylphenol by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Different parameters that influence microextraction and derivatization have been optimized. The quantitative linear range of analytes is 5.0–400.0 ng/L, and the correlation coefficients are more than 0.9998. Limits of detection for soft drinks and dairy products have been obtained in the range of 0.5–1.2 ng/kg and 0.01–0.04 μg/kg, respectively. Relative standard deviations of intra‐ and inter‐day precision for retention time and peak area are in the range of 0.47–2.31 and 2.76–8.79%, respectively. Accuracy is satisfactory in the range of 81.5–118.7%. Relative standard deviations of repeatability are in the range of 0.35–1.43 and 2.36–4.75% for retention time and peak area, respectively. Enrichment factors for bisphenol A, 4‐octylphenol, and 4‐nonylphenol are 170.5, 240.3, and 283.2, respectively. The results of recovery and matrix effect are in the range of 82.7–114.9 and 92.0–109.0%, respectively. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of bisphenol A, 4‐octylphenol, and 4‐nonylphenol in soft drinks and dairy products with much higher sensitivity than many other methods.     

Potential of prodendronic polyamines with modulated segmental charge density as novel coating for fast and efficient analysis of peptides and basic proteins by CE and CE‐MS

In this work, the suitability of a new polymer family has been investigated as capillary coatings for the analysis of peptides and basic proteins by CE. This polymer family has been designed to minimize or completely prevent protein–capillary wall interactions and to modify the EOF. These coating materials are linear polymeric chains bearing as side cationizable moiety a dentronic triamine derived from N,N,N’,N’‐tetraethyldiethylenetriamine (TEDETA), which is linked to the backbone through a spacer (unit labeled as TEDETAMA). Four different polymers have been prepared and evaluated: a homopolymer which comprised only of those cationizable repetitive units of TEDETAMA, and three copolymers that randomly incorporate TEDETAMA together with neutral hydrosoluble units of N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA) at different molar percentages (25:75, 50:50 and 75:25). It has been demonstrated that the composition of the copolymers influences the EOF and therefore the separation of the investigated biopolymers. Among the novel polymers studied, poly‐(TEDETAMA‐co‐HPMA) 50:50 copolymer was successfully applied as coating material of the inner capillary surface in CE‐UV and CE‐MS, providing EOF reversing together with fast and efficient baseline separation of peptides and basic proteins. Finally, the feasibility of the polymer‐coated capillary was shown through the analysis of lysozyme in a cheese sample.