Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis combined with laser-induced fluorometry using electrokinetic injection.

Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis (HTCE) based on electrokinetic injection allows laser-induced fluorescence detection using a small laser, namely the laser-diode-pumped YAG laser, as an excitation source. A small hole is fabricated at the center of a capillary by laser ablation; this hole functions as an inlet port for a sample solution. Therefore, the sample solution can be introduced electrophoretically into the capillary through the small hole. Multiple sample injection is accomplished by introducing a buffer solution from the end of the capillary and the sample solution through the hole. Both solutions are injected using two sets of high-voltage power supplies and migrate toward the opposite end of the capillary. A fluorescent analyte, rhodamine B, is successfully detected in the case of both single and multiple injection according to the Hadamard sequence code. By transforming the data encoded by the Hadamard matrix, the decoded data showed an increase in the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by a factor of 9.8. In the case of the sample containing two amino acids labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC), although the concentration of every component including free RBITC is lower than the concentration limit of detection obtained by single injection, a substantial improvement in the sensitivity is achieved and all components are identified by the Hadamard transform technique.