A new absorbed coating for DNA fragment analysis by capillary electrophoresis

A fully automated coating procedure was devised based on adsorption of a ne w polymer, poly(dimethylacrylamide-co-allyl glycidyl ether) onto the capill ary surface. The whole procedure takes less than 30 min and does not requir e the use of organic solvents, Viscous solutions, or elevated temperature. The coating is stable even under harsh conditions such as alkaline pH, elev ated temperature, and denaturant conditions that destroy most other present ly available adsorbed coatings. This new adsorbed coating is highly stable and easy to produce in quantity, making it quite unique, and further making it possible to operate with any DNA sieving matrix. Finally, the above-men tioned properties facilitate coating regeneration by a simple wash with a s trongly alkaline solution, thus extending the lifetime of the capillary, a highly desirable property for any coating used in biopolymer separations.