Advances in the theory and application of MEEKC

MEEKC is an electrodriven separation technique, which utilises the unique properties of a microemulsion (ME) as a background electrolyte to achieve separation of a diverse range of solutes. MEs are composed of nanometre-sized oil droplets suspended in aqueous buffer, which is commonly referred to as an oil-in-water ME. The droplets are stabilised by the presence of a surfactant and co-surfactant. The use of water-in-oil MEs in MEEKC has also been investigated. This review details the advances in MEEKC-based separations from the period 2008 to 2009. Areas covered include online sample concentration, suppressed electroosmosis MEEKC, chiral separation, MEEKC-MS, and structure-migration relationships. The review also includes a fundamental introduction to MEEKC, along with the presentation of recent applications.