University of California

United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Sensit Ventures, Inc.

Cristina E Davis

Jean-Pierre Delplanque

Konstantin O Zamuruyev

Yuriy Zrodnikov

Nicholas J Kenyon

Michael K Levasseur

Mitchell M McCartney

Hamzeh Bardaweel

Alexander G Fung

Raquel Cumeras

Daniel J Peirano

Matthew A Coleman

Jing Li

David J Loftus

Alexander A Aksenov

Michael Schivo

Tore Straume

Anup K Singh

The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of a preconcentrator system for preconcentrating air samples. This preconcentrator system includes a plurality of preconcentrators that preconcentrate the air samples prior to chemical analysis, and a delivery structure comprising a manifold that selectively routes a sample airflow to the plurality of concentrators so that the plurality of preconcentrators receive a sample airflow concurrently or individually.

Portable micro-preconcentrator to facilitate chemical sampling and subsequent analysis

A selective-sorting system for aerosol droplets in human breath includes a mouthpiece to receive a flow of human breath, and a flow path coupled to the mouthpiece. This flow path includes one or more bends that cause the flow of human breath to change direction, which causes aerosol droplets in the flow having different mass-sizes to change direction at different rates. Moreover, the flow path is shaped so that droplets that change direction at different rates are directed to different destinations. The system also includes a collection path, which is coupled to the flow path so that aerosol droplets meeting a specific mass-size criterion are directed into the collection path. A condenser tube is located in the collection path, wherein the condenser tube includes a cooling mechanism that cools the condenser tube to facilitate condensing aerosol droplets to sides of the condenser tube for subsequent collection.

Selectively sorting aerosol droplets in exhaled human breath based on a mass-size parameter

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) device for performing chemical analysis. The IMS device includes a first set of electrodes arranged linearly in a first direction and separated by a first set of gaps. The IMS device includes a second set of electrodes positioned directly opposing the first set of electrodes to match the first set of electrodes on a one-to-one basis, wherein the second set of electrodes are separated by a second set of gaps. The IMS device includes a drift region between the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes, wherein charged particles enter at a first end of the drift region and traverse the drift region along the first direction. The IMS device additionally includes a detector positioned at a second end of the drift region and configured to receive charged particles exiting the drift region.

Spatially alternating asymmetric field ion mobility spectrometer

An integrated condenser is described. This integrated condenser includes an outer surface region on a sampler surface that facilitates condensing at least a component in a received gas-phase sample into liquid-phase droplets on the sampler surface, and aggregating and moving the condensed droplets radially toward an inner surface region on the sampler surface that receives the condensed droplets. For example, the outer surface region may include a set of micro-patterned concentric rings, each of which includes a set of radially oriented wall-groove pairs. Moreover, the sampler surface may be increasingly less hydrophobic along a radial direction toward the center of the sampler surface, thereby creating an axisymmetric wettability gradient.

Integrated condenser for collecting droplets

A method for analyzing droplets is described. The droplets can be received on an outer surface region of a sampler surface disposed on a substrate, wherein the sampler surface is increasingly less hydrophobic along a radial direction toward the center of the sampler surface. Next, the droplets can be aggregated and moved toward the center of the sampler surface. The droplets can then be received at an inner surface region of the sampler surface. Next, the droplets can be analyzed using an analysis mechanism in an area in the inner surface region.

Method for analyzing droplets

A system that integrates several technologies into a single, portable medical diagnostic apparatus for analyzing a sample body fluid (liquid and/or gas): (1) a mechanism to capture airborne microdroplets and to separate the body fluid into a first fluid component (primarily gas) and a second fluid component (primarily liquid); (2) a volatilizer to convert a portion of the second fluid component into a third fluid component that is primarily a gas; (3) a functionalized nanostructure (NS) array configured to receive, identify, and estimate concentration of at least one constituent in the first and/or third fluid components; (4) a miniaturized differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) module; and (5) a biomarker sensor, to detect volatile and non-volatile molecules in a sample fluid, which may contain one or more components of blood, breath, perspiration, saliva, and urine.

Portable medical diagnosis instrument

A micro-analyzer is described. This micro-analyzer includes an outer surface region on a sampler surface that receives liquid droplets, and aggregates and moves the droplets radially toward an inner surface region on the sampler surface that receives the droplets. For example, the outer surface region may include a set of micro-patterned concentric rings, each of which includes a set of radially oriented wall-groove pairs. Moreover, the sampler surface may be increasingly less hydrophobic along a radial direction toward the center of the sampler surface, thereby creating an axisymmetric wettability gradient. After the droplets are aggregated, an analysis mechanism in an area within the inner surface region performs analysis on the aggregated droplets.

Micro-analyzer with passive aggregator

Growing community of inventors

Davis, CA, United States of America

Cristina E Davis