Chromatographic separation of simulants of nerve and blister agents by combining one- and two-channel columns with different stationary phases

A two-channel gas chromatography column and a single-channel column were made by deep reactive-ion etching technology. The two short columns were coated with different stationary phases, and then linked without a modulator. This is to aim at increasing the sample capacity and achieving a higher separation efficiency in complex environments. The results show that the capacity of the connected column is approximately 4 and 1.5 times larger than that of the single- and two-channel columns, respectively. The linked column was utilized to separate a six-component mixture, composed of three simulants of nerve and blister agents and three interfering vapors. The results demonstrate that the combined column has a remarkably higher separation efficiency than the individual columns, and an acceptable resolution is achieved although the total length of the linked column is only 1.5 m.