Can slip walls improve field-flow fractionation or hydrodynamic chromatography?

One way to potentially modify the performance of field-flow fractionation (FFF) would be to move the position of the maximum flow velocity away from the mid-point of the channel, for example by using walls with non-zero slip lengths. In this short communication, we extend the ideal theory of FFF to include the effects of two slip walls. Our calculations demonstrate that while the hydrodynamic chromatography limit of FFF (weak fields) is not improved by engineering devices with slip-walls, the performance of Normal-Mode FFF can be enhanced by having slip at the depletion wall in moderate fields. We also introduce a new regime, which we call Slip-Mode FFF, where a large external field (typical of Normal-Mode FFF) and a large slip at the accumulation wall lead to sharp separations characterized by an elution order that is similar to that of hydrodynamic chromatography.

► Slip can be used to modify FFF retention ratios. ► The weak field limit of FFF does not benefit from slip. ► Slip at the depletion wall improves Normal-Mode FFF in moderate fields. ► In strong fields, large slip at the accumulation wall causes Slip-Mode FFF.