NANOLITER-SCALE MULTIREFLECTION CELL FOR ABSORPTION DETECTION IN CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

A multireflective absorption cell for CZE is fabricated and examined by both static and dynamic measurements. The new cell is characterized by improved sensitivity as compared to conventional single-pass cells, with no increase in cell volume. A 40-fold improvement in sensitivity is obtained when compared to a single-pass cell, with similar noise levels. A concentration detection limit of 6.5 x 10(-8) M for brilliant green is estimated for the new cell design from static measurements. A theoretical analysis of cell performance using ray tracing for both axial and radial reflections in the new cell shows good agreement with experimental results.