Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with a simple fluidic modulator

The use of a comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography (GC) with a simple in-line fluidic modulator to demonstrate modulator performance is discussed. The in-line fluidic modulator produces 2-D separations that are similar to those produced by previously described differential flow modulators. The in-line fluidic modulator maintains optimal performance over a wider range of differential flow ratios than the dual-loop fluidic modulator. The main challenge of developing a differential flow modulator is to generate a device that can effectively combine the primary effluent and the auxiliary flow without additional peak broadening and without diminishing the primary separation. The simplicity and the low resource requirement of the modulation strategy decreases the difficulty of implementing comprehensive 2-D gas chromatography and can potentially lead to the broader adoption of the GC×GC technique.