Microchip gas chromatography column using magnetic beads coated with polydimethylsiloxane and metal organic frameworks

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2023-08, Vol.1705, p.464188, Article 464188
• Main Authors: Sun, Xueyou, Shi, Jingwen, Men, Xiangdong, Li, Yanna, Qu, Hemi, Chang, Ye, Hu, Jizhou, Yan, Xu, Guo, Wenlan, Sun, Chen, Duan, Xuexin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chromatographic column efficiency; Magnetic beads carried stationary phase; Micro gas chromatography; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464188

•Magnetic beads were used as carrier for the stationary phase and coating the microcolumn assisted by a magnet.•MBs modified with OV-1 and MOF are deposited in an on-chip µGC.•MBs@OV-1 column showed a minimum HETP of 0.074 cm of 62 cm/s.•Mixtures of volatile organic compounds are successfully separated using MBs enabled µGC with a good separation efficiency. Micro gas chromatography (μGC) using microfabricated silicon columns has been developed in response to the requirement for portable on-site gas analysis. Although different stationary phases have been developed, repeatable and reliable surface coatings in these rather small microcolumns remains a challenge. Herein, a new stationary phase coating strategy using magnetic beads (MBs) as carriers for micro column is presented. MBs modified with organopolysiloxane (MBs@OV-1) and a metal organic framework (MBs@HKUST-1) are deposited in on-chip microcolumns assisted with a magnetic field with an optimized modification process. MBs@OV-1 column showed a minimum HETP of 0.074 cm (1351 plates/m) of 62 cm/s. Mixtures of volatile organic compounds are successfully separated using MBs carried stationary phase which demonstrates that this technique has good chromatographic column efficiency. This method not only provides a novel coating process, washing and characterization of the stationary phases but also establishes a straightforward strategy for testing new absorbent materials for μGC systems.