Glass Capillary Research Articles

Microbubble Resonators for Photoacoustic Detection and Photothermal Spectroscopy

Optical microresonators based on Whispering Gallery Modes have been extensively investigated as unique tools for fundamental studies and as core components in several applications. Specifically, microbubbles resonators (MBR) made from glass capillaries combine high optical and mechanical Q-factors together with intrinsic microfluidics, and in this work we demonstrate them as unique platforms for photoacoustic (PA) detection and photothermal (PT) spectroscopy. In a first configuration, we employed a MBR as an optical transducer to detect the PA signal generated by a suspension of gold nanorods (GNRs) placed within the MBR, demonstrating all-optical PA detection and high sensitivity towards nanoparticles optical absorption. The MBR acts both as the ultrasound sensor and as the microvial, enabling the inspection of submicroliter samples without the need for impedance-matching media. We then present a flow cytometry experiment where the GNRs run through the MBR, and we estimate PA intensity by a Fourier analysis of the read-out signal. The sharp MBR mechanical eigenmodes allowed to easily decouple the environmental noise from the PA contributions. In a second proof-of-concept experiment using a similar setup, we implemented the MBR transducer to reconstruct the GNRs absorption spectrum through the photothermal conversion. The high sensitivity of the MBR towards temperature variations allowed for the interrogation of small samples while using a low-intensity beam for their excitation. This thermal detection produces spectra that are insensitive towards light scattering in the sample, as proved experimentally by comparing the spectra of aqueous GNR suspensions in the presence or absence of milk powder.

Traceability of the primary Nano-flow measurement System: Measuring the local inner diameter of a glass capillary

As part of the Metrology for Drug Delivery (“MeDD II”) European joint research project, a primary method for the measurement of liquid flow rates at the nanolitre per minute scale has been developed. This primary standard allows the calibration of flow meters and flow generators such as infusion pumps, pressure controllers and syringe pumps, for flow rates ranging from 10 nl/min to 1500 nl/min with relative expanded uncertainties (k=2) of 12 % and 0.15 %, respectively. The system is based on the measurement of the displacements over time of a liquid/air interface moving inside a cylindrical glass capillary tube. The flow rate is obtained by multiplying the resulting flow velocity by the cross-sectional area of the tube which depends on the square of the capillary’s inner radius. In order to ensure the traceability of flow rate measurements to International System of Units, camera and frame rate calibration procedures have been established. However, the measured flow rates depend on the local value of the inner diameter which must also be traceable. In this paper, we present a method to measure the inner diameter of cylindrical thin-walled capillaries by confocal microscopy. The method allows visualizing the inside of a tube by filling it with a fluorescent solution and acquiring z-stacked images along its full height. The mean inner diameter is deduced from the widths of the fluorescent signal in the obtained images which are measured by image processing. The method was applied on capillaries with different inner diameters and the results were compared with the values given by manufacturers. The relative expanded uncertainties (k=2) were estimated to a maximum of 4 %, which is two times lower than the one provided by manufacturers.

Low-cost photoreactors for highly photon/energy-efficient solar-driven synthesis

Low-cost photoreactors for highly photon/energy-efficient solar-driven synthesis

A novel array-type microdroplet parallel-generation device.

In this study, the innovative design of a new array microdroplet parallel-generation device is proposed based on the principle of fluid inertial force using a capillary glass needle. The entire device used an electromagnetic actuator as the power source. It was designed as a 9-channel parallel array of glass needles. All glass needles feed independently, allowing different solutions to be sprayed simultaneously while effectively avoiding cross-contamination. We achieved non-contact parallel precision dispensing of nanoliter-sized microdroplet arrays using a relatively simple method. In this study, we first investigated the homogeneity of the generated droplet arrays and the stability of the device over long periods of operation. Then, the influence of the driving-voltage amplitude of the electromagnet and nozzle diameter on microdroplet generation was analyzed. Finally, a prediction model for the droplet size was developed using regression analysis to investigate the on-demand generation of droplets. In summary, the device designed in this study had a novel design, low cost, and modular assembly. It has excellent potential for applications in high precision and low-volume microdroplet-array generation.

Spontaneous Formation of Uniform Cell-Sized Microgels through Water/Water Phase Separation.

In this study, a one-step method is discussed for producing uniform cell-sized microgels using glass capillaries filled with a binary polymer blend of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and gelatin. Upon decreasing temperature, phase separation of the PEG/gelatin blends and gelation of gelatin occur, and then the polymer blend forms linearly aligned, uniformly sized gelatin microgels in the glass capillary. When DNA is added to the polymer solution, gelatin microgels entrapping DNA are spontaneously formed, and the DNA prevents the coalescence of the microdroplets even at temperatures above the melting point. This novel method to form uniform cell-sized microgels may be applicable to other biopolymers. This method is expected to contribute to diverse materials science via biopolymer microgels and biophysics and synthetic biology through cellular models containing biopolymer gels.

An analysis of flow characteristics during ethanol natural evaporation in capillary tubes with varying diameters

For the design of the heat transfer system, heat transfer characteristics and flow state near the evaporation interface are crucial. This paper aims to experimentally investigate Marangoni convection and temperature distribution in thin films during natural ethanol evaporation in capillary tubes of varying diameters. In both horizontal and vertical views, the infrared camera and PIV are used to measure the flow pattern and interfacial temperature distribution of Marangoni convection. The quartz glass capillary has inner diameters of 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 1 mm. As a result, the fluid in the capillary is less affected by gravity in the horizontal cross-section. Consequently, the temperature and the flow state exhibit a symmetrical phenomenon, and the lowest temperature value can be found near the capillary wall's angle. The interface from the center to the edges of the Marangoni macroscopic flow is characterized by two symmetrical, counter-rotating vortices. Due to the conflicting effects of gravity and surface tension, the vertical section exhibits both single and double vortices. Small inner diameters of capillaries are also less affected by gravity. As a result, as the capillary diameter decreases, the double vortex phenomenon gradually emerges, which is already apparent in tubes with an inner diameter of 0.3 mm.

Biocytin-Labeling in Whole-Cell Recording: Electrophysiological and Morphological Properties of Pyramidal Neurons in CYLD-Deficient Mice.

Biocytin, a chemical compound that is an amide formed from the vitamin biotin and the amino acid L-lysine, has been used as a histological dye to stain nerve cells. Electrophysiological activity and morphology are two key characteristics of neurons, but revealing both the electrophysiological and morphological properties of the same neuron is challenging. This article introduces a detailed and easy-to-operate procedure for single-cell labeling in combination with whole-cell patch-clamp recording. Using a recording electrode filled with a biocytin-containing internal solution, we demonstrate the electrophysiological and morphological characteristics of pyramidal (PNs), medial spiny (MSNs) and parvalbumin neurons (PVs) in brain slices, where the electrophysiological and morphological properties of the same individual cell are elucidated. We first introduce a protocol for whole-cell patch-clamp recording in various neurons, coupled with the intracellular diffusion of biocytin delivered by the glass capillary of the recording electrode, followed by a post hoc procedure to reveal the architecture and morphology of biocytin-labeled neurons. An analysis of action potentials (APs) and neuronal morphology, including the dendritic length, number of intersections, and spine density of biocytin-labeled neurons, were performed using ClampFit and Fiji Image (ImageJ), respectively. Next, to take advantage of the techniques introduced above, we uncovered defects in the APs and the dendritic spines of PNs in the primary motor cortex (M1) of deubiquitinase cylindromatosis (CYLD) knock-out (Cyld-/-) mice. In summary, this article provides a detailed methodology for revealing the morphology as well as the electrophysiological activity of a single neuron that will have many applications in neurobiology.

Capillary-based fluorescent antenna for visible light communications.

The use of fluorescent optical antennas in visible light communications (VLC) systems can enhance their performance by selectively absorbing light from the transmitter and concentrating the resulting fluorescence, whilst preserving a wide field of view. In this paper, we introduce a new and flexible way of creating fluorescent optical antennas. This new antenna structure is a glass capillary which is filled with a mixture of epoxy and a fluorophore before the epoxy is cured. Using this structure, an antenna can be easily and efficiently coupled to a typical photodiode. Consequently, the leakage of photons from the antenna can be significantly reduced when compared to previous antennas created using microscope slides. Moreover, the process of creating the antenna is simple enough for the performance of antennas containing different fluorophores to be compared. In particular, this flexibility has been used to compare VLC systems that incorporate optical antennas containing three different organic fluorescent materials, Coumarin 504 (Cm504), Coumarin 6 (Cm6), and 4-(Dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM), when a white light-emitting diode (LED) is used as the transmitter. Results show that, since it only absorbs light emitted from the gallium nitride (GaN) LED, a fluorophore that hasn't previously been used in a VLC system, Cm504, can result in a significantly higher modulation bandwidth. In addition, the bit error rate (BER) performance at different orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) data rates of antennas containing different fluorophores is reported. These experiments show for the first time that the best choice of fluorophore depends on the illuminance at the receiver. In particular, when the illuminance is low, the overall performance of the system is dominated by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Under these conditions, the fluorophore with the highest signal gain is the best choice. In contrast, when the illuminance is high, the achievable data rate is determined by the bandwidth of the system and therefore the fluorophore that results in the highest bandwidth is the best choice.

Regulating generation of multiple emulsion through double parallel-crank mechanism

A method was proposed for preparing multiple emulsions based on a double parallel-crank mechanism. The dispersed phase flows into the glass capillary, and the glass capillary was driven to make a circular motion via connecting the crank structure. Then, the external phase shears the dispersed phase through the double parallel-crank mechanism to prepare water in oil (W/O) droplets, and the process of generation of droplets was simulated by CFD. The effects of rotating speed, capillary diameter, external flow rate, and external viscosity on droplet formation were investigated. The size and generation frequency of the droplets was controlled by the rotational speed. More importantly, Single or multicore droplets were generated by the rotation droplet generator, and the effects of rotational speed on the number of cores and droplet size were investigated. Finally, the multi-component microgels were produced by the pre-crosslinking method. This study provides a rotation droplet generation system that has the ability to generate various droplets, expanding the practicability and versatility of the rotation droplet generator, and providing a new platform for multiple emulsion preparations.

Stitching Flexible Electronics into the Brain.

Understanding complex neuronal networks requires monitoring long-term neuronal activity in various regions of the brain. Significant progress has been made in multisite implantations of well-designed probes, such as multisite implantation of Si-based and polymer-based probes. However, these multiprobe strategies are limited by the sizes and weights of interfaces to the multiple probes and the inability to track the activity of the same neurons and changes in neuronal activity over longer time periods. Here, a long single flexible probe that can be implanted by stitching into multiple regions of the mouse brain and subsequently transmit chronically stable neuronal signals from the multiple sites via a single low-mass interface is reported. The probe at four different sites is implemented using a glass capillary needle or two sites using an ultrathin metal needle. In vitro tests in brain-mimicking hydrogel show that multisite probe implantations achieve a high connection yield of >86%. In vivo histological images at each site of probes, implanted by stitching using either glass capillary or ultrathin metal insertion needles exhibit seamless tissue-probe interfaces with negligible chronic immune response. In addition, electrophysiology studies demonstrate the ability to track single neuron activities at every injection site with chronic stability over at least one month. Notably, the measured spike amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratios at different implantation sites show no statistically significant differences. Multisite stitching implantation of flexible electronics in the brain opens up new opportunities for both fundamental neuroscience research and electrotherapeutic applications.

High-Throughput Nanoliter Sampling and Direct Analysis of Biological Fluids Using Droplet Imbibition Mass Spectrometry.

A high-throughput droplet imbibition mass spectrometry (MS) experiment is reported for the first time that allows direct analysis of ultra-small volumes of complex mixtures. In this experiment, an array of optimized tips of glass capillaries containing the analyte solution is sampled by rapidly moving charged microdroplets, which picks up (i.e., imbibes) the analyte and transfers it to a proximal mass spectrometer. The advantages associated with this droplet imbibition experiment include (1) ultra-small sample consumption (1.3 nL/min), which reduces the matrix effect in complex mixture analysis, and (2) high surface activity, which eliminates ion suppression effects caused by competition for the space charge on the droplet surface. Collectively, the enhanced surface effect and small flow rates dramatically increase the sensitivity of the droplet imbibition MS approach. This was experimentally shown by constructing calibration curves for cocaine analysis in human raw urine and whole blood, achieving 2 and 7 pg/mL limits of detection, respectively. The high-throughput feature was demonstrated by analyzing five structurally different compounds in 20 s intervals. With the measured flow rate of 1.3 nL/min on a 5 μm glass tip size, the results described in the current study showcase droplet imbibition MS to be a powerful and high-throughput alternative for conventional nano-electrospray ionization (flow rate <100 nL/min), which is the most efficient method for transferring small sample volumes to mass spectrometers.

Fully Aqueous Self-Assembly of a Gold-Nanoparticle-Based Pathogen Sensor.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a very sensitive measure of biomolecular interactions but is generally too expensive for routine analysis of clinical samples. Here we demonstrate the simplified formation of virus-detecting gold nanoparticle (AuNP) assemblies on glass using only aqueous buffers at room temperature. The AuNP assembled on silanized glass and displayed a distinctive absorbance peak due to the localized SPR (LSPR) response of the AuNPs. Next, assembly of a protein engineering scaffold was followed using LSPR and a sensitive neutron reflectometry approach, which measured the formation and structure of the biological layer on the spherical AuNP. Finally, the assembly and function of an artificial flu sensor layer consisting of an in vitro-selected single-chain antibody (scFv)-membrane protein fusion was followed using the LSPR response of AuNPs within glass capillaries. In vitro selection avoids the need for separate animal-derived antibodies and allows for the rapid production of low-cost sensor proteins. This work demonstrates a simple approach to forming oriented arrays of protein sensors on nanostructured surfaces that uses (i) an easily assembled AuNP silane layer, (ii) self-assembly of an oriented protein layer on AuNPs, and (iii) simple highly specific artificial receptor proteins.

High resolution recording of local field currents simultaneously with sound-evoked calcium signals by a photometric patch electrode in the auditory cortex field L of the chick

BackgroundFunctioning of the brain is based on both electrical and metabolic activity of neural ensembles. Accordingly, it would be useful to measure intracellular metabolic signaling simultaneously with electrical activity in the brain in vivo. New methodWe innovated a PhotoMetric-patch-Electrode (PME) recording system that has a high temporal resolution incorporating a photomultiplier tube as a light detector. The PME is fabricated from a quartz glass capillary to transmit light as a light guide, and it can detect electrical signals as a patch electrode simultaneously with a fluorescence signal. ResultsWe measured the sound-evoked Local Field Current (LFC) and fluorescence Ca2+ signal from neurons labeled with Ca2+-sensitive dye Oregon Green BAPTA1 in field L, the avian auditory cortex. Sound stimulation evoked multi-unit spike bursts and Ca2+ signals, and enhanced the fluctuation of LFC. After a brief sound stimulation, the cross-correlation between LFC and Ca2+ signal was prolonged. D-AP5 (antagonist for NMDA receptors) suppressed the sound-evoked Ca2+ signal when applied locally by pressure from the tip of PME. Comparison with existing methodsIn contrast to existing multiphoton imaging or optical fiber recording methods, the PME is a patch electrode pulled simply from a quartz glass capillary and can measure fluorescence signals at the tip simultaneously with electrical signal at any depth of the brain structure. ConclusionThe PME is devised to record electrical and optical signals simultaneously with high temporal resolution. Moreover, it can inject chemical agents dissolved in the tip-filling medium locally by pressure, allowing manipulation of neural activity pharmacologically.

Sharp-edge–driven spiral acoustic micromixers for functional nanoarray engineering

Acoustic microfluidics has a remarkable influence on mixing but still face significant challenges of low throughput. Here, a robust acoustic micromixer with a spiral microchannel and side-wall sharp-edge structures is first proposed for facilitating microscale fluid mixing at wide-range flow rates. A micromixer that integrates acoustics with hydrodynamics enables fast and homogeneous mixing, ranging from 4 μL/min to over 2500 μL/min. the mixing performance shows a transition from acoustics domination at low flow rates to hydrodynamics domination at high flow rates. The increases of transducer amplitude, curvature, and sharp-edge density are positively correlated with mixing performance, while the increase of a tilted angle shows the opposite. The acoustic micromixer is leveraged to synthesize a functional ZnO nanoarray inside glass capillaries as portable microanalytical systems. ZnO nanofiber and nanosheet arrays are developed and their performances are systematically investigated by photodegradation of organic dye and enrichment of a heavy metal ion. Generally, efficiencies in photodegradation and enrichment can be well regulated by residence time, and a ZnO nanofiber shows more outstanding activity and robust stability than a ZnO nanosheet. These findings not only shed new light on the rational design of advanced lab-on-a-chip devices but also provide important guidelines for the controllable synthesis and applications of functional nanomaterials.

Micromorphic theory as a model for blood in the microcirculation: correction and analysis

This paper analyzes the applicability of Eringen’s Generalized Continuum Theories as a model for human blood in the microcirculation. The applied theory considers a fluid with a fully deformable substructure, namely a micromorphic fluid. This analysis is motivated by the fact that blood itself can be considered a suspension of deformable particles, i.e., red blood cells (RBCs), suspended in a Newtonian fluid, i.e., blood plasma. As a consequence, non-Newtonian phenomena such as shear-thinning are observed in blood. To test the micromorphic fluid as a model for blood, the solution for the velocity and the motion of substructure is determined for a cylindrical pipe flow and compared to experimental results of blood flow through narrow glass capillaries representing idealized blood vessels. A similar analysis was also conducted by Kang and Eringen in 1976, but it contains some misprints and minor errors regarding the mathematical expressions and subsequent discussion which are corrected in this paper. For certain material parameters, the micromorphic fluid models capture high-shear blood flow in narrow glass capillaries very well. This concerns both the velocity profiles and the shear-thinning behavior. Furthermore, a parameter study reveals that the flexibility of substructure governs the micromorphic shear-thinning. In this regard, parallels can be drawn to the shear-thinning of human blood, which is also induced by the deformability of RBCs. This makes the micromorphic fluid a complex but accurate model for human blood, at least for the considered experiments.

Modulation of Oil/Polymer Nanocapsule Size via Phase Diagram-Guided Microfluidic Coprecipitation

Flow-based nanoprecipitation of different solutes via rapid mixing of two miscible liquids is a scalable strategy for manufacturing nanoparticles with various shapes and morphologies. Controlling the size of nanoparticles in flow-based nanoprecipitation, however, is often left to empirical variations in the flow rate ratios or the total flow rate of the two streams. In this work, we investigate the coprecipitations of oil and polymer to form nanocapsules via the Ouzo effect using glass capillary microfluidics across a range of mixing conditions. In the range of flow rates studied, the two streams mix convectively in micro-vortices formed at the junction of the two stream inlets. Using computational fluid dynamics simulations and glass capillary microfluidic nanoprecipitation, we establish a relationship between the precipitation conditions occurring experimentally in situ and the location on the ternary Ouzo phase diagram where precipitation is taking place. We find that a key variable in the resulting average diameter of the fabricated capsules is the degree of supersaturation experienced by both the oil and the polymer in the vortex zone of the device, showing a strong correlation between the two values. The control over the nanocapsule size by varying the extent of supersaturation of both precipitants is demonstrated by using two oils having distinct phase diagrams. This work provides a systematic approach to controlling the size of nanoparticles fabricated via continuous nanoprecipitation by linking the in situ flow conditions to ternary phase diagram behavior, enabling accurate control over nanocapsule size.

Lego-Inspired Glass Capillary Microfluidic Device: A Technique for Bespoke Microencapsulation of Phase Change Materials.

We report a Lego-inspired glass capillary microfluidic device capable of encapsulating both organic and aqueous phase change materials (PCMs) with high reproducibility and 100% PCM yield. Oil-in-oil-in-water (O/O/W) and water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) core-shell double emulsion droplets were formed to encapsulate hexadecane (HD, an organic PCM) and salt hydrate SP21EK (an aqueous PCM) in a UV-curable polymeric shell, Norland Optical Adhesive (NOA). The double emulsions were consolidated through on-the-fly polymerization, which followed thiol-ene click chemistry for photoinitiation. The particle diameters and shell thicknesses of the microcapsules were controlled by manipulating the geometry of glass capillaries and fluid flow rates. The microcapsules were monodispersed and exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiencies of 65.4 and 44.3% for HD and SP21EK-based materials, respectively, as determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis confirmed much higher thermal stability of both encapsulated PCMs compared to pure PCMs. Polarization microscopy revealed that microcapsules could sustain over 100 melting-crystallization cycles without any structural changes. Bifunctional microcapsules with remarkable photocatalytic activity along with thermal energy storage performance were produced after the addition of 1 wt % titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) into the polymeric shell. The presence of TiO2 NPs in the shell was confirmed by higher opacity and whiteness of these microcapsules and was quantified by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Young's modulus of HD-based microcapsules estimated using micromanipulation analysis increased from 58.5 to 224 MPa after TiO2 incorporation in the shell.

Flexible Organic Electronic Ion Pump for Flow-Free Phytohormone Delivery into Vasculature of Intact Plants.

Plant vasculature transports molecules that play a crucial role in plant signaling including systemic responses and acclimation to diverse environmental conditions. Targeted controlled delivery of molecules to the vascular tissue can be a biomimetic way to induce long distance responses, providing a new tool for the fundamental studies and engineering of stress-tolerant plants. Here, a flexible organic electronic ion pump, an electrophoretic delivery device, for controlled delivery of phytohormones directly in plant vascular tissue isdeveloped. The c-OEIP is based on polyimide-coated glass capillaries that significantly enhance the mechanical robustness of these microscale devices while being minimally disruptive for the plant. The polyelectrolyte channel is based on low-cost and commercially available precursors that can be photocured with blue light, establishing much cheaper and safer system than the state-of-the-art. To trigger OEIP-induced plant response, the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) in the petiole of intact Arabidopsis plantsis delivered. ABA is one of the main phytohormones involved in plant stress responses and induces stomata closure under drought conditions to reduce water loss and prevent wilting. The OEIP-mediated ABA delivery triggered fast and long-lasting stomata closure far away from the delivery point demonstrating systemic vascular transport of the delivered ABA, verified delivering deuterium-labeled ABA.

Gold Nanotriangle-Assembled Nanoporous Structures for Electric Field-Assisted Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection of Adenosine Triphosphate.

A reliable, rapid, cost-effective, and simple method for the detection of biomolecules would greatly promote the research of analytical detection of single molecules. A nanopore-based analytical technique is promising for detecting biomolecules. Conventional electrochemical nanopores cannot distinguish biomolecules precisely because of their fast translocation speed and limited electrochemical information. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanopores to obtain multidimensional information. Herein, we designed and fabricated gold nanotriangle (AuNT)-assembled porous structures at the tip of a glass capillary using dithiol adenosine triphosphate (ATP) aptamers as cross-linking molecules. The AuNTs exhibited an edge length of 57.3 ± 6.2 nm and thickness of about 15 nm. The gold nanoporous structure (GPS) showed a strong ion rectification even at a high concentration of electrolyte (2 M) and a high SERS activity. Based on these designed structures, SERS and electrochemistry techniques were combined to control the rapid movement of ATP to the vicinity of the GPS by an applied potential of +1 V, where ATP was concentrated by ATP aptamers and the molecular signals were amplified by SERS. As a result, the GPS successfully detected ATP at a concentration as low as 10-7 M.

Determination of Metals in Environmental Waters by Solution Cathode Glow Discharge -Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (SCGD-AES) with a Syringe Pump for Sample Introduction

This study reports a syringe injection pump for sample introduction for solution cathode glow discharge (SCGD) atomic emission spectroscopy (AES). The experimental conditions are optimized at 60 mA discharge current, 2.5 mm gap spacing, 2.0 mm distance from the glass capillary to cathode, 1.60 mL/min flow rate, and pH 1.0 based on the detection limits (DLs) obtained for Li, Cd, Cu, Ag, Mn, Pb, Cr, and Zn. The detection limits for Li, Cd, Cu, Ag, Mn, Pb, Cr, and Zn were 0.24, 12.26, 12.08, 1.09, 46.42, 25.81, 183.05, and 29.01 µg/L, respectively, significantly lower than using the traditional peristaltic pump. The detection limits decreased by 1.4, 1.8, 2.2, 5.0, 1.4, 1.4, 1.4, 1.6, and 2.2-fold for these elements. The flow rate and the solution consumed per unit time were significantly reduced using this design. The spectral detection revealed stable and practical operation of the system with relative standard deviations <0.85%. Water samples from Yangtze River, Baixi River, and Baiyun Reservoir are analyzed using the modified SCGD system and its evaluation is based upon comparison to inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The modified device operates at atmospheric pressure without inert gas and integrates a syringe injection pump and a compact spectrometer to optimize solution utility, analytical performance, and operation size for industrial and environmental monitoring applications.