Thick film traps with an irregular film: Preparation and evaluation

A new method for preparation of sorbent-based ultra-thick film traps for concentration of trace volatile components from gaseous matrices is described. The procedure is based on blowing a prepolymer (polydimethylsiloxane) through a capillary tube, forming an irregular film of stationary phase. Subsequently, the prepolymer is immobilized in a few seconds by heating to 200 °C. Evaluation of the performance of the new traps showed that the loss of efficiency, compared to regular smooth film traps is only on the order of 20–30%. In terms of breakthrough volume, this loss in performance is rather insignificant. The technology is extremely simple and allows a rapid and cheap production of a large number of ultra-thick film traps, even in non-specialized laboratories. The method can be applied to any type of cross-linkable stationary phase, thereby expanding the scope of sorbent-based trapping and preconcentration concept. Many applications are anticipated in trace and ultra-trace analysis in a wide range of fields, such as environmental chemistry, polymers, food and process analysis.