Owlstone Nanotech Inc

Owlstone Limited

Advance Nanotech, Inc.

David Ruiz-Alonso

Andrew H Koehl

Paul Boyle

Ashley Wilks

Russell Parris

Martyn Rush

An ion mobility spectrometer is described having an ion filter in the form of at least one ion channel having a plurality of electrodes. A time-varying electric potential applied to the conductive layers allows the filler to selectively admit ion species. The electric potential has a drive and a transverse component, and in preferred embodiments each of the electrodes is involved in generating a component of both the drive and transverse fields. The device may be used without a drift gas flow. Microfabrication techniques are described for producing microscale spectrometers, as are various uses of the spectrometer.

Ion mobility spectrometer

A smart FAIMS sensor system and method includes a 2/2-electrode filter that pumps the ions through the system and separates the ionic species, a detector for collecting the separated ions and generating a detector signal in response to the collected ions, and a controller configured to change the operating parameters of the system in response to changes in the sensor's environment detected by the sensor. The ability to dynamically change the operating parameters of the sensor enables the sensor to maintain high sensitivity to environmental threats while decreasing the incidences of false positive events.

Smart FAIMS sensor

The present invention relates to an ion drive for selectively isolating an analyte of interest and methods of use thereof. The ion drive includes a substrate with channels therethrough, a conductive material coating on the bottom and top of the substrate, a top electrical lead connected to the conductive material coating covering the top of the substrate, and a bottom electrical lead connected to the conductive material coating covering the bottom of the substrate. The invention further relates to an odor emitter which is made up of an ion drive mounted towards the top of a vessel.

Ion drive and odor emitter

A compact ionization source includes first and second electrodes, each having a plurality of fingers that are interdigitated with each other. The spacing between the first and second electrode, preferably less than 1 mm, creates a large electric field when a potential is applied across the first and second electrodes. The large electric field creates an ionization volume between the fingers of the first and second electrode and ionizes a portion of the molecules occupying the ionization volume. The interdigitated fingers of the first and second electrodes allow for a narrow gap separating the electrodes while presenting a large flow area for ionizing molecules for downstream analysis.

Compact ionization source

An ion gate is disposed between a first volume occupied by a first carrier gas and ions of the first carrier gas and a second volume occupied by a second carrier gas. The ion gate includes at least one channel connecting the first volume to the second volume, a first electrode disposed on an inlet surface of the ion gate facing the first volume, and a second electrode disposed on an outlet surface of the ion gate facing the second volume. Ions are transported from the first volume to the second volume through the channel under an electric field produced by the first and second electrode.

Ion gate

The present invention relates to a three dimensional preconcentrator and inlet heater. The preconcentrator consists of a substrate with passageways, a conductive material coated to the top and the bottom of the substrate and an adsorbent coating covering the entire substrate. This substrate is suspended in a holding frame by a connecting bridge. The preconcentrator may also include a resistor and a proportional-integral-differential controller. The device may be used inline with a detector and can be retrofitted to existing devices. An array of preconcentrators may also be formed. The invention also relates to methods of use of the preconcentrator and methods of manufacture. A method of use includes contacting an analyte and a preconcentrator, allowing the analyte to adsorb to the preconcentrator and then desorbing the analyte. A method of manufacture involves applying the adsorbent coating by misted chemical deposition.

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

David Ruiz-Alonso