Recent advances in miniaturization of portable liquid chromatography with emphasis on detection

Liquid chromatography is a prominent analytical technique in separation science and chemical analysis, applied across numerous fields of research and within industrial applications. Over the past few decades, there has been a growing interest in the miniaturization of this technique, which has been particularly enabled through new miniature and portable detection technologies for in-field, at-site, and point-of-need (collectively 'out-of-lab') analyses. Accordingly, significant advances have been made in recent years in the development of miniaturized liquid chromatography with photometric, electrochemical, and mass spectrometric detection, enabling the development of field-deployable and portable instruments for various applications. Herein, recent developments in the miniaturization of detection systems for inclusion within, and/or coupling with, portable liquid chromatographic systems, are reviewed in detail together with critical comments and expected future trends in this area.

Automated summary

Liquid chromatography is a widely used analytical technique in separation science and chemical analysis, and there has been an increasing interest in miniaturizing this technique in recent years. This has been made possible by the development of new miniature and portable detection technologies, allowing for on-site and portable analyses. Significant advancements have been made in the miniaturization of liquid chromatography with photometric, electrochemical, and mass spectrometric detection, leading to the development of field-deployable and portable instruments for various applications. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the miniaturization of detection systems for portable liquid chromatographic systems, along with critical comments and expected future trends.