Performance of capillary electrophoresis instruments – State of the art and outlook

The current state of the art of CE instruments and their performance have been reviewed, considering precision, speed, resolution, linearity, sensitivity, ease of use, flexibility, dedication, reliability, costs, and sustainability. Various commercial instruments, home-built ones, and microchip instruments have been compared, as well as different detectors such as UV, fluorescence, capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C4D), and mass detectors in particular. Performance tests for instruments, qualifications suitable for installation, and performance qualifications (IQ/PQ) have also been reviewed. The peak area precision typically corresponds to approximately 1–2% relative standard deviation (RSD), which is not as good as HPLC. However, this difference between HPLC and CE is often irrelevant, if biotechnical products are investigated, or if substantial sample pre-treatment is required. This evaluation is strongly related to the intended use of the instruments. Today one can find excellent instruments for all applications.