Aerodynamic Focusing Lens 

The Livermore Instruments Aerodynamic Focusing Lens Interface draws particle laden air from the environment and delivers the particles into vacuum as a tight particle beam. A result of years of research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the subject of two patents*, the interface focuses far larger particles than any previous design and focuses a broad range of particle sizes. The interface draws air in at 1.06 liters/minute and focuses the particles into a beam of <1 mm in diameter at a distance of ~15 cm from the interface. The transmission of particles through the interface from 0.1 to > 8.0 um has been demonstrated with the highest transportation efficiency at ~6 um.

The performance of a Single Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer incorporating the interface was documented in Fergenson, D.P., Balaxi, M., Kohler, D., Susz, A., and Morrical, B.D. (2014) Real-Time Inhalation Analytics Using Single Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (SPAMS),Respiratory Drug Delivery 2014, (pp. 259-266) and the performance of a similar interface was described in John F. Cahill, Thomas K. Darlington, Xiaoliang Wang, Joe Mayer, Matt T. Spencer, John C. Holecek, Beth E. Reed & Kimberly A. Prather (2014) Development of a High-Pressure Aerodynamic Lens for Focusing Large Particles (4-10 um) into the Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer, Aerosol Science and Technology, 48:9, 948-956.


* U.S. Patents 7361891 and 8065119

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