This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I will demonstrate electrokinetic separation of uncharged polymers by length. This technique will create specially-designed microfluidic channels using standard microfabrication technology, coupled with electrophoresis equipment and a fluorescence microscope. The separation of uncharged, fluorescent poly(ethylene glycol) polymers at single-monomer resolution will enable the technology to progress to a prototype platform for use in academic, industrial, medical, and environmental laboratories.
The broader impacts (commercial potential) of this technology are the ability to separate a chemical mixture into constituents, this is absolutely necessary for all of analytical chemistry. Improvements in speed, quality, efficiency, or resolution of separation techniques will enhance the behind-the-scenes laboratory work that ensures the quality of everyday products. Measuring the level of organic compounds or mineral content in water is often handled by lab technicians operating chromatography tools; the process is expensive and time-consuming. Nevertheless, the application of chromatography in these fields is pervasive. The overall impact from this project would be a faster and less expensive process to separate chemical mixtures.
