Pulsed amperometric detection of carbohydrates on an electrophoretic microchip

The first report of pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) on an electrophoretic microchip is presented. A hybrid poly( dimethylsiloxane)/ glass device was coupled with a platinum working electrode for the electrochemical detection of glucose, maltose, and xylose. Under optimized detection conditions, glucose was found to respond linearly from 20 to 500 muM with a measured detection limit of 20 muM. The coupling of PAD with a microchip provides a straightforward approach to the analysis of a wide range of carbohydrates using microfluidics.