Improved micromachined column design and fluidic interconnects for programmed high-temperature gas chromatography separations

This work focuses on the development and experimental evaluation of micromachined chromatographic columns for use in a commercial gas chromatography (GC) system. A vespel/graphite ferrule based compression sealing technique is presented using which leak-proof fluidic interconnection between the inlet tubing and the microchannel was achieved. This sealing technique enabled separation at temperatures up to 350 °C on a μGC column. This paper reports the first high-temperature separations in microfabricated chromatographic columns at these temperatures. A 2 m microfabricated column using a double Archimedean spiral design with a square cross-section of 100 μm × 100 μm has been developed using silicon microfabrication techniques. The microfabricated column was benchmarked against a 2 m 100 μm diameter commercial column and the performance between the two columns was evaluated in tests performed under identical conditions. High temperature separations of simulated distillation (ASTM2887) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (EPA8310) were performed using the μGC column in temperature programmed mode. The demonstrated μGC column along with the high temperature fixture offers one more solution toward potentially realizing a portable μGC device for the detection of semi-volatile environmental pollutants and explosives without the thermal limitations reported to date with μGC columns using epoxy based interconnect technology.