Acoustic methods of detection in gas chromatography

Bulk and Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Arrays for Multi-Analyte Detection: A Review

Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor devices have successfully been used in a wide variety of gas sensing, liquid sensing, and biosensing applications. Devices include BAW sensors using thickness shear modes and SAW sensors using Rayleigh waves or horizontally polarized shear waves (HPSWs). Analyte specificity and selectivity of the sensors are determined by the sensor coatings. If a group of analytes is to be detected or if only selective coatings (i.e., coatings responding to more than one analyte) are available, the use of multi-sensor arrays is advantageous, as the evaluation of the resulting signal patterns allows qualitative and quantitative characterization of the sample. Virtual sensor arrays utilize only one sensor but combine it with enhanced signal evaluation methods or preceding sample separation, which results in similar results as obtained with multi-sensor arrays. Both array types have shown to be promising with regard to system integration and low costs. This review discusses principles and design considerations for acoustic multi-sensor and virtual sensor arrays and outlines the use of these arrays in multi-analyte detection applications, focusing mainly on developments of the past decade.

New approach for sensitive photothermal detection of C60 and C70 fullerenes on micro-thin-layer chromatographic plates

In this paper the pulse thermovision (photothermal) detection and quantification methods of C60 and C70 fullerenes are presented. Quantification results are compared with optical and fluorescence measurements. Target components were separated under isothermal conditions (30 °C) on micro-TLC plates (RP18WF254S) using n-hexane as the mobile phase. The principle of described analytical protocol is based on sensitive measurement of the temperature contrast generated within TLC stationary phase and fullerenes spots after white light pulse excitation. It has been demonstrated that observed temperature contrast is mainly driven by the optical properties of fullerenes (UV-vis absorption spectra). Contrary to the commonly applied optical reflection or transmission techniques the proposed thermovision method involves dissipated light. The results of presented experimental work have revealed that both types of quantitative measurements provide similar outcome despite the key differences in the signal origin. However, it has been found that thermovision method was characterized by smaller value of LOD, particularly for C60 molecule. We demonstrated that application of correlation technique to post-acquisition analysis of the sequence of temperature contrast images significantly increase detection limits of fullerenes, even in comparison to fluorescence quenching detection mode. Moreover, the thermal contrast images and particularly, computed correlation image, allow detection of stationary phase layer nonuniformities, including changes in the adsorbent thickness and thermal conductivity. Therefore, invented pulsed thermovision methodology can be additionally used for fast quality screening of home made and commercially available TLC plates.

Biosensors for hepatitis B virus detection

A biosensor is an analytical device used for the detection of analytes, which combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector. Recently, an increasing number of biosensors have been used in clinical research, for example, the blood glucose biosensor. This review focuses on the current state of biosensor research with respect to efficient, specific and rapid detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The biosensors developed based on different techniques, including optical methods (e.g., surface plasmon resonance), acoustic wave technologies (e.g., quartz crystal microbalance), electrochemistry (amperometry, voltammetry and impedance) and novel nanotechnology, are also discussed.

Detection of chemical vapor with high sensitivity by using the symmetrical metal-cladding waveguide-enhanced Goos-Hänchen shift

We present a novel and simple optical structure, i.e., the symmetrical metal-cladding waveguide, in which a polymer layer is added into the guiding layer, for sensitive detection of chemical vapor by using the enhanced Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift (nearly a millimeter scale). Owing to the high sensitivity of the excited ultrahigh-order modes, the vapor-induced effect (swelling effect and refractive index change) in the polymer layer will lead to a dramatic variation of the GH shift. The detected GH shift signal is irrelevant to the power fluctuation of the incident light. The detection limit of 9.5 ppm for toluene and 28.5 ppm for benzene has been achieved.

Response mechanism for surface acoustic wave gas sensors based on surface-adsorption

A theoretical model is established to describe the response mechanism of surface acoustic wave (SAW) gas sensors based on physical adsorption on the detector surface. Wohljent's method is utilized to describe the relationship of sensor output (frequency shift of SAW oscillator) and the mass loaded on the detector surface. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) formula and its improved form are introduced to depict the adsorption behavior of gas on the detector surface. By combining the two methods, we obtain a theoretical model for the response mechanism of SAW gas sensors. By using a commercial SAW gas chromatography (GC) analyzer, an experiment is performed to measure the frequency shifts caused by different concentration of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP). The parameters in the model are given by fitting the experimental results and the theoretical curve agrees well with the experimental data.

Invited review article: an odor-sensing system--powerful technique for foodstuff studies

This work examines gas sensor array technology combined with multivariate data processing methods and demonstrates a promising potential for rapid, non-destructive analysis of food. Main attention is focused on detailed description of sensor used in e-nose instruments, construction, and principle of operation of these systems. Moreover, this paper briefly reviews the progress in the field of artificial olfaction and future trends in electronic nose technology, namely, e-nose based on mass spectrometry. Further discussion concerns a comparison of artificial nose with gas chromatography-olfactometry and the application of e-nose instruments in different areas of food industry.

Development and application of a milli-whistle for use in gas chromatography detection

A simple milli-whistle was developed for the use in GC (gas chromatography) detection, in which, compared to a thermal conductivity detector (TCD), 1 order of magnitude superior sensitivity can be obtained. The milli-whistle can be connected to the outlet of a GC capillary. The gas and makeup gas passing through the capillary produces a sound as it passes through the milli-whistle (i.e., the gas of the GC eluate). The sound can easily be detected by a microphone, which, after a Fourier transform (FT) by means of a LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench) built-in program, a very sharp frequency peak (full width at half-maximum, approximately 1.6 Hz) can be simultaneously observed. As a result, GC elutes can be qualitatively determined on the basis of their retention times, and a quantitative analysis can be achieved on the basis of the frequency shifts. When the makeup and carrier gases used were nitrogen, in the case of gas samples, including hydrogen, helium, argon, and carbon dioxide, the limits of detection were found to be approximately 3 microL/each injection; in the case of liquid samples, including methanol, cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran, hexane, and acetone, the limits of detection were determined to be approximately 10 microg/each injection, respectively. When the gases were changed to hydrogen, the limits of detection were dramatically improved. When acetone was selected as the model sample, a linear relationship was found in the range of 0.2-200 microg/injection.

Surface acoustic wave immunosensor for real-time detection of hepatitis B surface antibodies in whole blood samples

We demonstrate an application of Love wave mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) immunosensor to detect hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) in aqueous conditions. SiO(2) guiding layer was deposited on 36 degrees YX-LiTaO(3) piezoelectric single crystal substrate to protect the electrodes and to trap the acoustic energy near the surface, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was immobilized on the sensing area. The resonance frequency shift was monitored to detect specific binding of HBsAb to immobilized HBsAg. To eliminate the effects of other physical factors except for the mass change, the resonance frequency was compared to that of a reference SAW device coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to block binding of HBsAb. The guiding layer thickness with maximum mass sensitivity was found to be 5 microm, which was in agreement with the theoretical calculation, and the center resonance frequency was around 199 MHz. The sensor showed binding specificity to HBsAb and a linear relationship between the frequency shift and the antibody concentration with sensitivity of 0.74 Hz/(pg/microl) and detection limit below 10 pg/microl. In addition, our SAW immunosensor successfully detected HBsAb in whole blood samples without any pretreatment, opening up its applicability in fast label-free protein detection methods.