Kinetic exclusion amplification of nucleic acid libraries

A method for amplifying nucleic acids, comprising

• (a) providing
• (i) an array of amplification sites having one or more capture agents, and
• (ii) an amplification reagent comprising a solution comprising a plurality of different target nucleic acids,
• wherein the number of the different target nucleic acids in the solution exceeds the number of amplification sites in the array,
• wherein the different target nucleic acids have fluidic access to the plurality of amplification sites, and
• wherein each of the amplification sites is occupied by several nucleic acids of the plurality of different nucleic acids prior to:
• (b) reacting the amplification reagent with the array of amplification sites, such that a plurality of amplification sites each comprises a clonal population of amplicons from an individual target nucleic acid from the solution,
• wherein the reacting comprises
• (i) producing a first amplicon from an individual target nucleic acid that transports to each of the amplification sites, and
• (ii) producing subsequent amplicons from the individual target nucleic acid that transports to each of the amplification sites or from the first amplicon, wherein the average rate at which the subsequent amplicons are generated at the amplification sites exceeds the average rate at which the first amplicon is generated at the amplification sites;
• wherein each of the amplification sites comprises a plurality of primers that are used to produce the amplicons in (b);
• and wherein the producing of the first amplicon comprises converting at least one of the primers from a non-extendible state to an extendible state.