What are the properties of permanent coated gel used in capillary electrophoresis?

Permanently coated gels are permanently affixed inside capillaries through monomer polymerization. Once bonded to the fused-silica wall, it cannot be removed without damaging the capillary. Typically, capillaries used in capillary electrophoresis are coated polyimide or Teflon to enhance their flexibility. Permanent coated gels are chemically inert, ensuring compatibility with various separation buffers and samples. These gels also offer high separation efficiency and resolution, allowing for the analysis of complex mixtures with excellent sensitivity. Cross-linked gels are created through the polymerization of functionalized acrylamides, either individually or in combination with other monomers. These gels have the ability to absorb water and certain types such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) can also swell in low-polarity organic solvents like dichloromethane. These properties make these gels amphiphilic.