Development of Compact, Low-cost Mass Spectrometers for Autonomous, in Situ Monitoring of Water, Soil, and Air Quality

Mass spectrometers the gold standard for chemical analysis with wide ranging applications butare unfortunately limited in deployment by their high cost size weight and power. Currentportable instruments are ~$100k the size of a small suitcase and operate for only a few hours ona single charge. We have invented a patent-pending ion trap geometry with key benefits overexisting designs including the ability to be microfabricated. This innovation will enablecompact low-cost widely deployable mass spectrometry based chemical analyzers forautonomous in situ sensing and monitoring.This SBIR Phase I project will enable IonicScale to develop membrane inlet sampling systemsfor its ultra-compact mass spectrometers allowing their use as in situ sensors for air water andsoil environments. In this 8-month project we will build an experiment to test polymers ofinterest and determine the design geometries to yield a sampling flow rate compatible with theinstruments. We will identify and work with ARS researchers and future customers to developthe product specifications features and price points necessary to ensure our instruments cansolve our customers' most important problems.IonicScale is poised to introduce the first single-handed commercial mass spectrometer. Thefirst-generation device in development promises significant application in traditional markets(Safety & Security and Environmental) and provides a proof-of-concept for a second-generationchip-scale cartridge. This device will revolutionize its market by tremendously reducing the costbarrier to entry. This Phase I represents a critical development of the sampling sub-system totarget applications in varied environments.