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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to develop a cyclone concentrator (CC) particle collector coupled with an ultra-low power diamond-based field desorption ion mirror (FDIM) for integration with a man-portable mass spectrometer.

PSI’s technology has a flexible architecture that allows for isolation and ionization of a variety of aerosols, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bioaerosols, and chemical warfare agents. The FDIM employs PSI’s patent-pending diamond coating applied to an off-axis parabola, providing simultaneous soft ionization of the incoming particles and focusing of the ion beam into the mass spectrometer, which improves the transfer efficiency of the ions to the mass spectrometer. The CC serves as an automatic, “air-breathing” atmospheric sampler that requires no human intervention. The CC also provides size selection and concentration of the sampled aerosols.

Benefits of the CC include the combination of the automatic cyclone sampler with the ultra-low power diamond-based ionization source for man-portable mass spectrometers. Applications include sampling and ionization of a variety of aerosols and a wide array of mass spectrometer platforms.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Julia Dupuis
Vice President, Tactical Systems
jdupuis@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003