毛细管电泳（Capillary electrophoresis）利用毛细管中被分析的带电分子在电场作用下，因移动速率不同而达到分离不同分子的目的。

毛细管电泳开始于20世纪60年代。在进行分析时将毛细管内充满了电解液，毛细管两端通高压电，使电解液内带电分子移到毛细管相反电荷的一端。因为不同分子的大小对电荷比不同，就以不同的速率在管中移动，达到毛细管终点也有快有慢。毛细管电泳既依此探测、分离不同分子。

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a family of electrokinetic separation methods performed in submillimeter diameter capillaries and in micro- and nanofluidic channels. Very often, CE refers to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), but other electrophoretic techniques including capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE), capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF), capillary isotachophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) belong also to this class of methods. In CE methods, analytes migrate through electrolyte solutions under the influence of an electric field. Analytes can be separated according to ionic mobility and/or partitioning into an alternate phase via Non-covalent interactions. Additionally, analytes may be concentrated or "focused" by means of gradients in conductivity and pH.