We report the fabrication of 6-phenylhexylsilane derivatized, sputtered silicon, solid phase microextraction fibers that show parts per trillion detection limits for polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and negligible carry over and phase bleed. Their fabrication involves sputtering silicon on silica fibers under various conditions. Six different fibers were evaluated by generating three different thicknesses of sputtered silicon at two different throw distances, which altered the morphologies of the silicon surfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the preparation of high performance, sputtered, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers that show negligible carry-over and phase bleed. This process involves sputtering silicon onto silica fibers and functionalizing the resulting porous nanostructures with ultrathin films of vapor-deposited PDMS. Different thicknesses of silicon (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a new process for preparing porous solid phase microextraction (SPME) coatings by the sputtering of silicon onto silica fibers. The microstructure of these coatings is a function of the substrate geometry and mean free path of the silicon atoms, and the coating thickness is controlled by the sputtering time. Sputtered silicon structures on silica fibers were treated with piranha solution (a mixture of concd H2SO4 and 30% H2O2) to increase the concentration of silanol groups on their surfaces, and the nanostructures were silanized with octadecyldimethylmethoxysilane in the gas phase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrofabrication of ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) plates via conformal deposition of silicon nitride by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition onto patterned carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffolds was demonstrated. After removal of the CNTs and hydroxylation, the resulting UTLC phase showed no expansion or distortion of their microfeatures and the absence/reduction of remaining nitrogenic species. Developing time of a mixture of lipophilic dyes on this UTLC plates was 86% shorter than on high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates.
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