The invention relates to a gas analysis system comprising, from upstream to downstream: a module (SEP) for separating at least a portion of the species contained in the gas to be analysed, comprising at least one microcapillary column (GC) for gas phase chromatography, and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) coupled to said separation module, said spectrometer comprising a ion source (MS1, MS2) adapted to ionise at least a portion of said species and to emit a ion beam, and a free-flight zone (MS4) for said ions,
said mass spectrometer (TOFMS) being arranged in the volume of at least one substrate and comprising a micro-reflectron (R) arranged between the source (MS1, MS2) and the free-flight zone (MS4), a wall (R1) of said micro-reflectron comprising a layer made from a resistive material designed to be polarised between at least two regions so as to create a continuous electrostatic field gradient in said reflectron.

A portable system 1 for analyzing gaseous flows that vary over time is described, the system comprising a sampling chamber 18, a gas sampling module 7, an ion filtering module 8 and an ion detecting module 9. The sampling chamber 18 is suitable to be kept at a controlled sampling pressure Pc, and is configured to receive at least one gaseous flow F having a gaseous composition to be analyzed that is variable over time. The gas sampling module 7, arranged in fluidic communication with the sampling chamber 18, is configured to adjust an input gaseous flow Fi of gas particles from the sampling chamber 18, and an output gaseous flow Fo from the sampling module 7, so as to reproduce inside the sampling module 7 a gaseous composition representative of the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The gas sampling module 7 is further configured to ionize said gas particles and to emit the produced ions, so as to generate an ion flow I having an ion composition representative of the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The sampling module 7 is also suitable to maintain inside it a controlled ionization pressure Pi, and it is also configured in such a way that the input gaseous flow Fi comprises a plurality of micro-flows at a molecular or predominantly molecular regime, at the sampling pressure Pc, and the output gaseous flow Fo is a flow at a molecular or predominantly molecular regime, at the ionization pressure Pi. The ion filtering module 8 is operatively connected to the sampling module 7 to receive the ion flow I, and is configured to controllably select at least one type of ion present in the ion flow I and to generate a corresponding at least one homogeneous ion beam I, having an intensity representative of the concentration of the corresponding gas particle in the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The ion detecting module 9 is operatively connected to the ion filtering module 8 to receive the at least one ion beam I, and is configured to measure the intensity of the at least one ion beam I and to generate a corresponding electric signal S representative of the concentration of the corresponding gas particle in the gaseous composition to be analyzed.

Preparation cell systems and methods are described herein. One example of a system for a preparation cell includes a laser coupled to a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of fibers, a preparation cell to prepare a state of laser light received by the fiber bundle, and an exiting fiber bundle coupled to the preparation cell.

The invention generally relates to methods and devices for synchronization of ion generation with cycling of a discontinuous atmospheric interface. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a system for analyzing a sample that includes a mass spectrometry probe that generates sample ions, a discontinuous atmospheric interface, and a mass analyzer, in which the system is configured such that ion formation is synchronized with cycling of the discontinuous atmospheric interface.

A microfluidic device for separating a sample by chromatography includes diffusion bonded metallic sheets joined together to create a hermetically sealed interface between each adjacent metallic sheet without the introduction of a secondary material. Enclosed within the diffusion bonded sheets is a separation channel accessible by at least one of an inlet or an outlet. The separation channel is packed with micrometer-sized particles serving as a stationary phase in a chromatographic separation. Wetted surfaces of the separation channel include a coating of an organic material at least one monolayer thick.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for ion traps are described herein. One apparatus includes a number of microwave (MW) rails and a number of radio frequency (RF) rails formed with substantially parallel longitudinal axes and with substantially coplanar upper surfaces. The apparatus includes two sequences of direct current (DC) electrodes with each sequence formed to extend substantially parallel to the substantially parallel longitudinal axes of the MW rails and the RF rails. The apparatus further includes a number of through-silicon vias (TSVs) formed through a substrate of the ion trap and a trench capacitor formed in the substrate around at least one TSV.

An ion guide for mass spectrometry comprising an electrode arrangement of at least two electrodes, at least one of which is an RF electrode, arranged adjacent to each other but spaced apart on a planar surface of a dielectric material and arranged at a distance from an ion flow path, wherein a portion of the dielectric surface is exposed between an adjacent pair of the spaced apart electrodes and wherein at least one electrode of said adjacent pair of electrodes is arranged to overhang the exposed portion of surface between them such that there is no direct line of sight from the ion flow path to the exposed portion of dielectric surface. The device enables RF guiding of ions accompanied by much reduced charging-up of dielectric surfaces and reduced amount of collisions of neutral species with electrodes.

The invention generally relates to methods and devices for synchronization of ion generation with cycling of a discontinuous atmospheric interface. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a system for analyzing a sample that includes a mass spectrometry probe that generates sample ions, a discontinuous atmospheric interface, and a mass analyzer, in which the system is configured such that ion formation is synchronized with cycling of the discontinuous atmospheric interface.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for mass spectrometry using a nanostructure that enables measuring mass of an analyte in room temperature. The apparatus may include: a chamber providing a space in which mass spectrometry is performed; an analyte input unit configured to input an analyte into the chamber; a substrate disposed inside the chamber and having at least one nanostructure formed thereon, to which the analyte input by the analyte input unit is adsorbed; an electron beam generator configured to irradiate the nanostructure with an electron beam; a secondary electron detection unit configured to detect a secondary electron signal emitted by an interaction of the electron beam with the nanostructure; and a mass measurement unit configured to identify a vibrational state of the nanostructure and measure a mass of the nanostructure through frequency analysis of the detected secondary electron signal.

An electrostatic ion trap or an array of electrostatic ion traps are provided having a longitudinal length of no more than 10 mm and/or at least one electrode with a capacitance to ground of no more than 1 pF. First and second sets of planar electrodes may be distributed along the longitudinal axis, at least some of the which are configured to receive an electrostatic potential for confinement of ions received in the space between the first and second sets of planar electrodes. An array may comprise an inlet for receiving an ion beam, configured such that a portion of the ion beam can be trapped in each of the ion traps. Signals indicative of ion mass and charge data may be obtained from multiple electrostatic ion traps in the array. This mass and charge data may be combined for identification of components of a mixture of different analyte ions.