Evanescent wave-initiated photopolymerisation in an optically wave guiding PTFE-coated fused silica capillary using light-emitting diode as a light source, is established here as a way to fabricate monolithic porous layer open-tubular capillary columns with a potential in capillary separation methods; application of the obtained open-tubular columns as enzymatic microreactors for on-line protein digestion is demonstrated.

A novel photo-controllable micro-fluidic electroosmotic pump based on spiropyran monolithic polymers is presented here for the first time. Photochromic monolithic scaffolds have been synthesised within poly(tetrafluoroethylene) coated fused silica capillaries. These monoliths have a photochromic spiropyran monomer incorporated in the bulk by thermally induced copolymerisation with a cross-linking agent (divinylbenzene) and were encased in micro-fluidic devices to function as photo-controllable electroosmotic pumps (EOPs). Due to the presence of the spiropyran the monolith can exist in two forms: a zwitterionic merocyanine (MC) form and an uncharged spiropyran (SP). As both forms bare a net overall zero charge, an acidic electrolyte was used to produce a stable anodic electroosmotic flow (EOF), while still retaining the ability to switch between the SP and the MC forms, which exhibit different charge distributions. It was confirmed that visible light, which produces the SP form, caused an increase in EOF while UV light, which generates the MC form, caused a decrease in EOF. In this way the EOF from the chip was modified by light and not by changing the electric field, temperature or buffer pH, some of the more common methods of altering the EOF.

A 255 nm deep-UV-light-emitting diode (deep-UV-LED) is investigated as a novel light source for photometric detection in view of fundamental properties of UV-LEDs, in particular emission spectra and energy conversion. Its performance in on-capillary photometric detection in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is determined and the potential of deep-UV-LEDs in optical detection is discussed.

The spatially controlled synthesis of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolithic stationary phases in polyimide coated fused silica capillaries by visible light induced radical polymerisation using a three-component initiator and a 660 nm light emitting diode (LED) as a light source is presented here.

For the first time photopolymerisation of polymer monoliths has been realised with UV-light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light source and demonstrated with polymethacrylate monoliths created in fused silica capillaries and plastic chips.

The spatially controlled synthesis of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolithic stationary phases in polyimide coated fused silica capillaries by visible light induced radical polymerisation using a three-component initiator and a 660 nm light emitting diode (LED) as a light source is presented here.