Electrophoresis, Vol.27, No.16, 3271-3276, 2006
Characterization of UV-transparent capillaries for CEC and CE
This short communication describes features of UV-transparent capillaries employed for CEC and CE. A waveguide effect was observed when using UV-transparent capillaries. Through imaging with SEM, the UV-transparent coating was found to be highly porous unlike polyimide coating, which did not exhibit any porosity at all. Prolonged exposure to several commonly employed solvents with elevated pH caused abrasion of the coating at the capillary tip but no swelling of the UV-transparent coating was observed. Lastly, four different cutting techniques were compared to obtain smooth capillary tips.