Fully Automated Portable Comprehensive 2-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Device

We developed a fully automated portable 2-dimensional (2-D) gas chromatography (GC x GC) device, which had a dimension of 60 cm × 50 cm × 10 cm and weight less than 5 kg. The device incorporated a micropreconcentrator/injector, commercial columns, micro-Deans switches, microthermal injectors, microphotoionization detectors, data acquisition cards, and power supplies, as well as computer control and user interface. It employed multiple channels (4 channels) in the second dimension (²D) to increase the ²D separation time (up to 32 s) and hence ²D peak capacity. In addition, a nondestructive flow-through vapor detector was installed at the end of the ¹D column to monitor the eluent from ¹D and assist in reconstructing ¹D elution peaks. With the information obtained jointly from the ¹D and ²D detectors, ¹D elution peaks could be reconstructed with significantly improved ¹D resolution. In this Article, we first discuss the details of the system operating principle and the algorithm to reconstruct ¹D elution peaks, followed by the description and characterization of each component. Finally, 2-D separation of 50 analytes, including alkane (C₆-C₁₂), alkene, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, cycloalkane, and aromatic hydrocarbon, in 14 min is demonstrated, showing the peak capacity of 430-530 and the peak capacity production of 40-80/min.