The use of liquid chromatography (LC) in analytical chemistry has been well-established for decades. Despite its robustness, conventional LC suffers from a few drawbacks:
- its relatively low sensitivity makes it unsuitable for the analysis of certain biological samples
- flow rates are not always compatible with the use of specific high-end detectors (such as electrospray ionization mass spectrometers, ESI-MS)
Miniaturized LC techniques have been developed to address these concerns and to enable sample analysis with much greater sensitivity than that afforded by conventional LC.
Nanoflow liquid chromatography (nanoLC) is a highly sensitive and efficient technique suitable for detailed analysis of complex and minute samples, especially in the world of proteomics and other fields requiring high resolution and sensitivity.
NanoLC can detect very low quantities of analytes due to its ability to handle very small sample volumes and concentrate analytes efficiently. In addition, the smaller column diameters (≤ 75µm) and lower flow rates (typically around 300 nL/min) help in achieving a better signal-to-noise ratio, enhancing the detection of low-abundance compounds. Finally, the low flow rates and high concentration of analytes at the detector interface enhance the performance of mass spectrometers, providing better ionization efficiency and more accurate results.
However, this improvements come at a cost. Due to its technical complexity, nanoLC achieves lower throughput compared to conventional LC and is more susceptible to blockages. That is why nanoLC should only be implemented for the most complex and demanding analyses.
NanoLC is perfectly suited for complex and challenging analyses such as protein biomarker research, host-cell protein profiling, cell lysate analyses etc.
