An apparatus for chemical separations includes a microfluidic substrate having an outlet aperture for outputting an eluent of a sample, a spray unit having an inlet to receive the eluent and an outlet to emit a spray of the eluent, and a force-applying unit. In one embodiment, exposing the composite material to an electromagnetic field allows for crack-healing, remolding andor bonding of the material. Based on a storage characteristic relating to performing the storage operation, the storage management device associates at least two storage devices in a virtual library. The on-time extension block is coupled to the zero-crossing detector and to the drive logic to generate a drive signal in response to the drive logic output signal.