Electrophoretic separations on paper: Past, present, and future-A review

- Trends of paper-based electrophoresis from 1930's to 2010's was deliberated.
- Critical developments focused towards rapid, cheap, and portable diagnostic devices.
- Paper-based electrophoresis shows recurring popularity after introduction of μPAD.
- Growing number on zone electrophoresis and isotachophoresis on μPAD was reported.
- Electrophoresis on μPAD shows potential as sample preparation and concentration device.

Point-of-collection (POC) devices aim for a fast, on-site detection for medical and environmental purposes. In this area, microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices (μPADs) have recently gained popularity because these are potentially cheap and environmentally friendly to produce, and easy to use. From an analytical perspective, paper is well known for its use as a substrate for chromatography, but less known for its use in electrophoretic separations. With the recent interest in μPADs, most applications are based on rather simple assays with relatively few applications incorporating an analytical separation. The focus of this review is on paper-based electrophoresis, originating with the key developments in the 1940s and 1950s as well as the recent developments of electrophoretic μPADs, and concluding with a critical discussion of the opportunities and challenges for electrophoretic μPADS in the future.

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