Research Progress on Counter Current Electrophoresis Separation Technology

Countercurrent electrophoresis (CCEP) is a technology that forms a steady focus in the separation channel through the coupling of electric field migration and reverse fluid flow, so as to realize the synchronous concentration and separation of substances. This paper reviews the evolution of CCEP from its theoretical origin, device design to microfluidic integration and optimization. Compared with traditional capillary electrophoresis, CCEP has higher processing flux, continuous operation ability and separation resolution, and has been successfully applied to isotope enrichment, protein recovery and complex matrix analysis. This paper further discusses the methods derived from it, such as isoelectric focusing (CACE), conductance gradient focusing (CGF) and electric field gradient focusing (EFGF), which expand the analysis ability and application scenarios of CCEP. Although the technology still faces challenges such as system stability, operation complexity and detection dependence, with the development of microfluidic, intelligent control and new material technology, CCEP shows broad development prospects in biomedicine, environmental monitoring and nuclide separation.