Polydopamine assisted fabrication of titanium oxide nanoparticles modified column for proteins separation by capillary electrochromatography.

Development of a simple method for preparation of stable open tubular (OT) columns for proteins separation by capillary electrochromatography is still challenging. In this work, the titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles coated OT column was successfully prepared for separation of proteins by capillary electrochromatography. The polydopamine (PDA) film was first formed in the inner surface of a fused-silica capillary by the self-polymerization of dopamine under alkaline conditions. Then the TiO2 coating was deposited onto the surface of pre-modified capillary with PDA by a liquid phase deposition process. The plentifully active hydroxyl groups in PDA coating can chelate with Ti(4+) to boost the nucleation and growth of TiO2 film. The as-prepared TiO2 coated OT column was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and measurement of electroosmotic flow. Furthermore, the influence of liquid phase deposition time on the TiO2 coating was investigated. The TiO2 coated OT column was used for successful separation of two variants of β-lactoglobulin and eight glycoisoforms of ovalbumin. The column demonstrated good repeatability and stability. The relative standard deviations of migration times of proteins representing run-to-run, day-to-day, and column-to-column were less than 3.7%. Moreover, the application of the column was verified by successful separation of acidic proteins in egg white.