Chromatographic performance of a thin microporous bed of nitrocellulose

Chromatography along thin (125 μm) porous beds of nitrocellulose, layered on top of an polyester backing, shows good separation efficiency with plate heights of 10–20 μm. Flow is controlled by capillary forces and shows low rate variations between the individual disposable devices. Positively charged groups were introduced into the nitrocellulose and efficient separation of transferrin isoforms, differing by only 0.1 pI units, was found after a short migration distance (1 cm). The upper surface is not covered, which allows sample and reagents to be added, and the clear backing permits detection. The chromatography can easily be combined on-line with sensitive immunoassay detection down to the pM (10⁻¹² M) range. This microscaled combination device should have a wide range of applications in analytical biochemistry.