title: Nano-Optomechanical Systems for Gas Chromatography.
abstract: Microgas chromatography (GC) is promising for portable chemical analysis. We demonstrate a nano-optomechanical system (NOMS) as an ultrasensitive mass detector in gas chromatography. Bare, native oxide, silicon surfaces are sensitive enough to monitor volatile organic compounds at ppm levels, while simultaneously demonstrating chemical selectivity. The NOMS is able to sense GC peaks from derivatized metabolites at physiological concentrations. This is an important milestone for small-molecule quantitation assays in next generation metabolite analyses for applications such as disease diagnosis and personalized medicine. The optical microring, which plays an important role in the nanomechanical signal transduction mechanism, can also be used as an analyte concentration sensor. Different adsorption kinetics regimes are realized at different temperatures allowing temporary condensation of the analyte onto the sensor surfaces. This effect amplifies the signal, resulting in a 1 ppb level limit of detection, without partition enhancement from absorbing media. This sensitivity bodes well for NOMS as universal, ultrasensitive detectors in micro-GC, breath analysis, and other chemical-sensing applications.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.|Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.
authors.forename: Anandram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venkatasubramanian
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.|Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.
authors.forename: Vincent T K
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.|Department of Physics, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Swapan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.|Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.|Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8, Canada.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wishart
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.|Department of Physics, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Wayne K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Hiebert
keywords: NOMS; gas chromatography; gas sensing; metabolite detection