Surface initiated polymerization of a cationic monomer on inner surfaces of silica capillaries: analyte separation by capillary electrophoresis versus polyelectrolyte behavior.

[2-(Methacryloyl)oxyethyl]trimethylammonium chloride was successfully polymerized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization method on the inner surface of fused-silica capillaries resulting in a covalently bound poly([2-(methacryloyl)oxyethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) coating. The coated capillaries provided in capillary electrophoresis an excellent run-to-run repeatability, capillary-to-capillary and day-to-day reproducibility. The capillaries worked reliably over 1 month with EOF repeatability below 0.5%. The positively charged coated capillaries were successfully applied to the capillary electrophoretic separation of three standard proteins and five β-blockers with the separation efficiencies ranging from 132,000 to 303,000 plates/m, and from 82,000 to 189,000 plates/m, respectively. In addition, challenging high- and low-density lipoprotein particles could be separated. The hydrodynamic sizes of free polymer chains in buffers used in the capillary electrophoretic experiments were measured for the characterization of the coatings.