Research

Our group is interested in two main research areas:

Capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a well-known separation technique performed in submillimeter diameter capillaries. In CE, analytes migrate through electrolyte solutions under the influence of an electric field. Analytes are separated according to their differences in velocity (mobility) and/or partitioning, for example in micelles, and/or their interactions with other molecules, for example as chiral selectors. We are developing methods for analysis of various biologically active compounds, in particular, enantiomers. We are dealing with CE characterization of nanoparticles. We are also studying fundamental aspects of CE migration, on-line preconcentrations, and interactions. Last, but not least, we are interested in the connection of CE with mass spectrometry, including electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS). The connection of CE-ICP-MS is carried out in cooperation with Dr. Tomáš Pluháček's group.

Low-cost microfluidics

Microfluidics deal with the behavior, precise control, and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small (typically submillimeter) scale. In this multidisciplinary field, we are interested in the use of this technology in analytical chemistry. Moreover, we are interested in the low-cost microfluidic techniques that use cheap procedures (and are also cheap to produce) and cheap materials (as paper or foil). In this field, we are developing new devices from paper, foil, plastics, and PDMS. We are studying applications of syringes for low-cost devices (so-called lab-in-a-syringe assays), and we are using 3D printing to design new microdevices.

The laboratory and project data management: Data management