Research Projects

Pushing the Limits of Liquid Chromatography

Liquid chromatography (LC) is one of the most widely used analytical technique in the world today. Over the past several decades, continuous improvements have enhanced the chromatographic performance and reduced the time needed for LC separations. In the Grinias Lab, we continue this work, trying to obtain higher and higher efficiencies in LC in faster and faster times. We are investigating the use of higher pressures and flow rates, and well as different stationary phase supports and bondings, to determine how to best achieve these goals. As these limits are pushed, changes to analyte retention and other related effects must also be explored. Beyond the fundamental experiments being done to better understand LC, the findings are being applied to separations of pharmaceutical drugs, clinically relevant biomarkers, and environmental samples.

Miniaturization of Instrumentation for Chemical Separations

The instrumentation described above is still usually very large and requires samples to be taken to the lab. The potential of bringing the lab to the sample has led to the development of many processes for shrinking down fluidic networks and integrating them into a single device. Our interest in this area comes through the use of these microfluidic devices to conduct chemical separations and other bioassays for diagnostic purposes. Additionally, we are working on miniaturizing the instrument control and detection systems so that these devices can be used away from the benchtop.

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