Field-flow fractionation: A gentle separation and characterization technique in biomedicine

Field-flow fractionation (FFF), a gentle tool for separation and characterization of macromolecules and particles, has attracted increasing interest in recent years due to its broad dynamic size range and the utilization of an “open channel” void of packing materials or stationary phase. In this review, the theoretical principle of FFF separation (such as retention ratio and external force) is described. The FFF sub-techniques based on the type of the external force employed are presented. Sample physical properties directly measured by FFF sub-techniques are summarized. This paper will critically review the applications of FFF in the field of biomedicine, especially those reported in the last five years.