A sensor structure is disclosed comprising at least four planar layers subsuming at least one cavity housed but not contained by overlapping apertures through at least two of the planar layers, wherein the at least one cavity comprises a plurality of chambers, and wherein at least one chamber of the plurality of chambers is configured to be in fluid coupling with at least one other chamber. The plurality of chambers may be defined by overlapping apertures through a plurality of the planar layers. The plurality of chambers may include a Gas Chromatograph (GC) column. The planar layers may be flexible flat glass. The planar layers may be fused together. The layers may be made with apertures through the layers disposed in a desired pattern to define complex structures by the apertures overlapping between abutting layers when the layers are stacked. The planar layers may be configured to admit ultraviolet light.

A gas phase component analysis device and a gas phase component analysis method that can prevent degradation of the device due to an unnecessary component and can obtain excellent detection sensitivity are provided.

A gas phase component analysis device (1) includes a heating unit (2) configured to heat a specimen to generate a gas phase component composite, a first column (31) into which the gas phase component composite is introduced, a second column (32) that is a separation column connected with the first column (31) through a connection unit (33), an isothermal oven (3) housing the first column (31), the second column (32), and the connection unit (33), a detection unit (4) configured to detect a gas phase component having passed through the second column (32), and a suction unit (5) connected with the connection unit (33).

A system and method for sample analysis using a portable gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) is provided. The GC-MS system includes an injector configured to accept a sample containing a mixture of chemicals and release at least part of the sample for a separation by GC, a MEMS GC column with an integrated heater configured to accept and at least partly separate the mixture of chemicals, and a mass analyzer in a vacuum chamber configured to accept and mass-analyze the released separated chemicals. The MEMS GC column with the integrated heater is located mostly inside the MS vacuum chamber.

A hand-held microfluidic testing device is provided that includes a housing having a cartridge receiving port, a cartridge for input to the cartridge receiving port having a sample input and a channel, where the channel includes a mixture of Raman-scattering nanoparticles and a calibration solution, where the calibration solution includes chemical compounds capable of interacting with a sample under test input to the cartridge and the Raman-scattering nanoparticles, and an optical detection system in the housing, where the optical detection system is capable of providing an illuminated electric field, where the illuminating electric field is capable of being used for Raman spectroscopy with the Raman-scattering nanoparticles and the calibration solution to analyze the sample under test input to the cartridge.

A hand-held microfluidic testing device is provided that includes a housing having a cartridge receiving port, a cartridge for input to the cartridge receiving port having a sample input and a channel, where the channel includes a mixture of Raman-scattering nanoparticles and a calibration solution, where the calibration solution includes chemical compounds capable of interacting with a sample under test input to the cartridge and the Raman-scattering nanoparticles, and an optical detection system in the housing, where the optical detection system is capable of providing an illuminated electric field, where the illuminating electric field is capable of being used for Raman spectroscopy with the Raman-scattering nanoparticles and the calibration solution to analyze the sample under test input to the cartridge.

A fermentation unit and a method of carrying out fermentation are described. The fermentation unit can be transported from one facility to another to carry out a fermentation process. The fermentation unit and method allow for the fermentation of a C1-containing substrate from a source at a particular facility to produce products such as alcohols and acids. Examples of the source of the C1-containing substrate include without limitation steel manufacturing processes, coal and biomass gasification processes, coke manufacturing processes, etc. The fermentation unit can be housed within a container having a volume of less than about 6 m.sup.3.

A method for reducing the variability, as measured by relative standard deviation (RSD), of an analytical testing technique is provided. This improvement in RSD improves the confidence in the values obtained during field testing. The method includes incorporating a focusing agent into the sampling media, which permits providing sampling media such as thermal desorption tubes preloaded with the focusing agent.

A microscale collector and injector device comprises a microscale passive pre-concentrator (μPP) and a microscale progressively-heated injector (μPHI). The μPP devices comprises first and second substrate portions, a first collection material, a μPP heater, and an outlet. The first substrate portion defines an array of microscale diffusion channels. The first and second substrate portions cooperate to define a first compartment in fluid communication with the diffusion channels. The first collection material is disposed within the first compartment, at least partially surrounding the outlet. The μPP heater is disposed in thermal communication with the second substrate portion. The μPHI device comprises third and fourth substrate portions, a second collection material, and a plurality of μPHI heaters. The third and fourth substrate portions cooperate to define a second compartment. The second collection material is disposed within the second compartment. The μPHI heaters are disposed in thermal communication with the second compartment.

A method for reducing the variability, as measured by relative standard deviation (RSD), of an analytical testing technique is provided. This improvement in RSD improves the confidence in the values obtained during field testing. The method includes incorporating a focusing agent into the sampling media, which permits providing sampling media such as thermal desorption tubes preloaded with the focusing agent.

Example aspects of a volatile organic compound detection device, a wearable health monitoring device, and a method of monitoring a user's health are disclosed. The volatile organic compound detection device can comprise a collector comprising a collector material configured to collect volatile organic compounds given off from a user's skin; a separator comprising a gas chromatography column configured to separate mixtures of the volatile organic compounds into their constituent chemicals; and an identifier comprising a detector and a processor, the detector configured to transduce the the constituent chemicals into a signal, the processor configured to process the signal to identify specific volatile organic compounds indicative of a health condition.