Bubble cell for magnetic bead trapping in capillary electrophoresis.

A bubble cell capillary classically used to extend the optical path length for UV-vis detection is employed here to trap magnetic beads. With this system, a large amount of beads can be captured without inducing a strong pressure drop, as it is the case with magnetic beads trapped in a standard capillary, thereby having less effect on the experimental conditions. Using numerical simulations and microscopic visualizations, the capture of beads inside a bubble cell was investigated with two magnet configurations. Pressure-driven and electro-osmotic flow velocities were measured for different amounts of protein-A-coated beads or C18-functionalized beads (RPC-18). Solid-phase extraction of a model antibody on protein-A beads and preconcentration of fluorescein on RPC-18 beads were performed as proof of concept experiments.