University of California

Nicholas J Kenyon

Cristina E Davis

Jean-Pierre Delplanque

Konstantin O Zamuruyev

Hamzeh Bardaweel

Alexander A Aksenov

Michael Schivo

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

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 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.

Growing community of inventors

Davis, CA, United States of America

Nicholas J Kenyon