System for analyzing a gas mixture including at least one chromatography column

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841408-B2
Application number	US-201414445831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Jun 7, 2010
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A system for analyzing a gas mixture, including at least one chromatography column, a mechanism injecting the mixture into the column, and a mechanism detecting compound(s) forming the gas mixture, the detection mechanism including at least one detector of nanosensor type of an outlet of the column and a detector of nanosensor type in the column, capable of detecting passage of the compounds. It is then possible to determine the velocity of each of the compounds within the system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for analyzing a gas mixture, comprising:
at least one chromatography column comprising at least one inlet and at least one outlet, at least one wall having an inner surface extending from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, and a film of at least one stationary phase covering the inner surface;
at least one injector configured to inject the gas mixture into the at least one chromatography column; and
a detection system comprising at least one detector at the at least one outlet of the at least one chromatography column, the at least one detector including several juxtaposed NEMS sensors.

2. The analysis system according to claim 1 , wherein the NEMS sensors are functionalized by depositing a layer of adsorbing material on at least one surface thereof.

3. The analysis system according to claim 2 , wherein the adsorbing material is identical with that of the film of the stationary phase.

4. The analysis system according to claim 1 , wherein the NEMS sensors are gravimetric sensors.

5. The analysis system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one chromatography column is of a microcapillary type or a macrocapillary type.

6. The analysis system according to claim 1 , wherein the NEMS sensors have a sensing surface area between about 100 nm 2 and about 20 μm 2 .

7. The analysis system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one chromatography column includes at least a first chromatography column and at least a second chromatography column connected in series, and
wherein the detection system is associated with each of said at least the first chromatography column and said at least the second chromatography column.

8. The analysis system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one chromatography column comprises an etched groove in a substrate, the groove being closed with a plate.

9. A system for analyzing a gas mixture, comprising:
at least one chromatography column comprising at least one inlet and at least one outlet, at least one wall having an inner surface extending from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, and a film of at least one stationary phase covering the inner surface;
at least one injector configured to inject the gas mixture into the at least one chromatography column; and
a detection system comprising at least one detector inside the at least one chromatography column, the at least one detector including several juxtaposed NEMS sensors and being configured to detect at least one compound included in the gas mixture.

10. The analysis system according to claim 9 , wherein the NEMS sensors are functionalized by depositing a layer of adsorbing material on at least one surface thereof.

11. The analysis system according to claim 10 , wherein the adsorbing material is identical with that of the film of the stationary phase.

12. The analysis system according to claim 9 , wherein the NEMS sensors are gravimetric sensors.

13. The analysis system according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one chromatography column is of a microcapillary type or a macrocapillary type.

14. The analysis system according to claim 9 , wherein the NEMS sensors have a sensing surface area between about 100 nm 2 and about 20 μm 2 .

15. The analysis system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the at least one chromatography column includes at least a first chromatography column and at least a second chromatography column connected in series, and
wherein the detection system is associated with each of said at least the first chromatography column and said at least the second chromatography column.

16. The analysis system according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one chromatography column comprises an etched groove in a substrate, the groove being closed with a plate.

17. The analysis system according to claim 16 , wherein the NEMS sensors are disposed in the groove or on the plate according to a pattern corresponding to a shape of the groove.

18. The analysis system according to claim 17 ,
wherein a shape of the at least one chromatography column is arranged to have at least a portion of the at least one chromatography column located along at least one edge of the substrate, and
wherein the detection system is located next to the at least one edge of the substrate.

Assignees

• Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Ene Alt
• California Inst Of Techn
• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Puget Pierre
• Myers Edward B
• Roukes Michael L

Classifications

• G01N30/6052

  body · CPC title

• G01N30/6039

  in series · CPC title

• G01N30/60

  Construction of the column · CPC title

• G01N30/463

  for multidimensional chromatography · CPC title

• G01N30/78 Primary

  using more than one detector · CPC title