Abstract: The present invention relates to a preconcentrator for vapors and particles collected from air. The vapor preconcentrator is made from plural layer of coils. The coil is made of resistance alloy. The pitch size of the coil is made to precisely trap/filter out certain size of the particles during preconcentration. Multiple coils could be made with different pitch sizes to achieve multiple step filtrations. When the sample flow enters the preconcentrator chamber, it passes through the coils. The particles of different sizes are trapped on different layer of coils. The vapor sample can be trapped on any coils when interacted with the coil surface. They could be trapped without any affinitive coating as the preconcentrator is at relatively low temperature. Different coils or different sections of the coil can be coated with different material to trap chemicals of different classes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improving the ability of a hyphenated instrument to analyze a sample benefiting from having the first instrument's analysis of the same sample. A fast switching mechanism can be used as the interface between an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) and a mass spectrometer (MS) such that the obtained IMS spectrum is converted into a timing diagram that controls the vacuum inlet's size dynamically during analysis of a neutral and/or charged chemical and/or biological species such that a smaller pumping system can be used. In various operational modes of the IMS-MS device, mobility-separated ions are allowed to pass through an ion gate and the vacuum inlet for mass analysis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improving the ability of a hyphenated instrument to analyze a sample benefiting from having the first instrument's analysis of the same sample. A fast switching mechanism can be used as the interface between an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) and a mass spectrometer (MS) such that the obtained IMS spectrum is converted into a timing diagram that controls the vacuum inlet's size dynamically during analysis of a neutral and/or charged chemical and/or biological species such that a smaller pumping system can be used.

Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometry apparatus and method used to separate ions and select some of the ions using an AC gate; the selected ions are further separated along a drift axis of a drift tube, where the AC gate is controlled using a series of AC voltages and/or frequencies to select different ions for the drift tube.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a preconcentrator for vapors and particles collected from air. The vapor preconcentrator is made from plural layer of coils. The coil is made of resistance alloy. The pitch size of the coil is made to precisely trap/filter out certain size of the particles during preconcentration. Multiple coils could be made with different pitch sizes to achieve multiple step filtrations. When the sample flow enters the preconcentrator chamber, it passes through the coils. The particles of different sizes are trapped on different layer of coils. The vapor sample can be trapped on any coils when interacted with the coil surface. They could be trapped without any affinitive coating as the preconcentrator is at relatively low temperature. Different coils or different sections of the coil can be coated with different material to trap chemicals of different classes.

Abstract: The IMS apparatus and methods described in this invention involve setting the ion detector at the highest potential of the drift tube and setting the ionization source at ground or near ground potential. The methods allow significantly simple sample introduction without the limitation of the high potential (voltage) concern of the front end sample delivery. The invention also describes bringing samples directly into the ion mobility drift tube. The invention further describes using single syringe for sample introduction via an electrospray ionization method. In addition, automation of the direct spray needle can be achieved by setting up array of the spray needles that are loaded in a manner that rotates and/or moves to the next spray needle in the ESI source region.

Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometry apparatus and method used to separate ions and select some of the ions using an AC gate; the selected ions are further separated along a drift axis of a drift tube, where the AC gate is controlled using a series of AC voltages and/or frequencies to select different ions for the drift tube.

Abstract: The present invention relates to drift tubes for ion mobility spectrometers. In one embodiment, the drift tube of the present invention uses a simplified design having helical resistive material to form substantially constant electric fields that guide ion movements. The drift tube for ion mobility spectrometers described herein is constructed with a non-conductive structure. This configuration provides a robust ion mobility spectrometer that is simple to build. One feature of the present invention is that the drift tube design described herein enables the ion mobility spectrometer to be built with a lower weight, lower power consumption, lower manufacturing cost, and free of sealants.

Abstract: The IMS apparatus and methods described in this invention involve setting the ion detector at the highest potential of the drift tube and setting the ionization source at ground or near ground potential. The methods allow significantly simple sample introduction without the limitation of the high potential (voltage) concern of the front end sample delivery. The invention also describes bringing samples directly into the ion mobility drift tube. The invention further describes using single syringe for sample introduction via an electrospray ionization method.

Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometry apparatus and method wherein ions are selected using an AC gate, then separated along a drift axis while providing a drift gas flow in a direction that is substantially neither in the direction of the drift axis nor opposite to the drift axis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improving the ability of a hyphenated instrument to analyze a sample benefiting from having the first instrument's analysis of the same sample. A fast switching mechanism can be used as the interface between an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) and a mass spectrometer (MS) such that the obtained IMS spectrum is converted into a timing diagram that controls the vacuum inlet's size dynamically during analysis of a neutral and/or charged chemical and/or biological species such that a smaller pumping system can be used.

Abstract: The present invention relates to drift tubes for ion mobility spectrometers. In one embodiment, the drift tube of the present invention uses a simplified design having helical resistive material to form substantially constant electric fields that guide ion movements. The drift tube for ion mobility spectrometers described herein is constructed with a non-conductive structure. This configuration provides a robust ion mobility spectrometer that is simple to build. One feature of the present invention is that the drift tube design described herein enables the ion mobility spectrometer to be built with a lower weight, lower power consumption, lower manufacturing cost, and free of sealants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to ion mobility spectrometers. In one embodiment, the ion mobility spectrometer of the present invention uses a simplified ion mobility spectrometer design having helical resistive material to form substantially constant electric fields that guide ion movements. The drift tube for ion mobility spectrometers described herein is constructed with a non-conductive structure. This configuration provides a robust ion mobility spectrometer that is simple to build. One feature of the present invention is that the drift tube design described herein enables the ion mobility spectrometer to be built with a lower weight, lower power consumption, lower manufacturing cost, and free of sealants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improving the ability of a hyphenated instrument to analyze a sample benefiting from having the first instrument's analysis of the same sample. A fast switching mechanism can be used as the interface between an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) and a mass spectrometer (MS) such that the obtained IMS spectrum is converted into a timing diagram that controls the vacuum inlet's size dynamically during analysis of a neutral and/or charged chemical and/or biological species such that a smaller pumping system can be used.

Abstract: The IMS apparatus and methods described in this invention involve setting the ion detector at the highest potential of the drift tube and setting the ionization source at ground or near ground potential. The methods allow significantly simple sample introduction without the limitation of the high potential (voltage) concern of the front end sample delivery. The invention also describes bringing samples directly into the ion mobility drift tube. The invention further describes using single syringe for sample introduction via an electrospray ionization method.

Abstract: A second gate in an Ion Mobility Spectrometer is used to select or block different time windows of the ion mobility spectrum. A second gate in the Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometer is used to modulate peak intensities in the IMS spectrum, allowing each peak in the IMS spectrum to be unambiguously matched with its set of fragment ions in a subsequent MS-MS mass spectrum.

Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometry apparatus and method wherein ions are selected using an AC gate, then separated along a drift axis while providing a drift gas flow in a direction that is substantially neither in the direction of the drift axis nor opposite to the drift axis.

Abstract: The present invention uses an AC voltage instead of DC voltage on an ion gate to filter/selectively pass ions. The ions that pass through the AC ion gate can be further separated in a spectrometric instrument. An ion mobility spectrometer using the AC ion gate can achieve better gating performance. For a time of flight ion mobility spectrometer with an AC ion gate, a narrow pulse of selected ions can be passed into a drift tube where they are separated based on their low field ion mobility. Moreover, when the AC voltage at the AC ion gate has a waveform as used for differential ion mobility spectrometry, the time of flight ion mobility spectrometer is converted into a two dimensional separation spectrometer, where ions are first separated based on their high field ion mobility and then further separated based on their low field ion mobility.

Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometry method wherein ions are separated along a drift axis while providing a drift gas flow in a direction that is substantially neither in the direction of the drift axis nor opposite to the drift axis. Ion mobility spectrometer operation methods use a cross-directional gas flow in a drift tube and/or a segmented drift tube for pre-separation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to ion mobility spectrometers. In one embodiment, the ion mobility spectrometer of the present invention uses a simplified ion mobility spectrometer design having helical resistive material to form substantially constant electric fields that guide ion movements. The drift tube for ion mobility spectrometers described herein is constructed with a non-conductive structure. This configuration provides a robust ion mobility spectrometer that is simple to build. One feature of the present invention is that the drift tube design described herein enables the ion mobility spectrometer to be built with a lower weight, lower power consumption, lower manufacturing cost, and free of sealants.