Why Capillary LC is the Future of LC-MS Sensitivity

What makes capillary LC so powerful—and why are more scientists paying attention to it?

In this episode of the Concentrating on Chromatography podcast, host David Oliva sits down with Samuel Foster of Axcend to discuss how capillary liquid chromatography is changing the conversation around LC-MS sensitivity, solvent consumption, instrument footprint, and chromatographic efficiency. Sam explains how lower flow rates can dramatically improve electrospray ionization performance, why capillary LC can reduce solvent usage by orders of magnitude, and where the technology is already making an impact in pharmaceutical, environmental, and radiopharmaceutical workflows. They also discuss common misconceptions about capillary LC, why older systems gave the technology a mixed reputation, and why modern advances may make now the right time for labs to take another look.

Topics Covered:

• What capillary LC is and how it differs from traditional HPLC
• Why lower flow rates improve LC-MS sensitivity
• Solvent savings and sustainability benefits
• Extra-column effects and hidden performance killers
• Applications in pharma, biologics, drugs of abuse, and radiopharmaceuticals
• Is capillary LC ready for routine lab adoption?
• The future of liquid chromatography

If you work in LC, LC-MS, analytical chemistry, method development, or lab operations, this episode is packed with practical insight. Listen to the full podcast episode below: