Detection of substances of interest using gas-solid phase chemistry

1. A method for detecting a substance of interest using a detection system comprising a pump, a first housing, and a second housing containing a condensed version of a vaporized clustering agent, the method comprising:

collecting a sample of a substantially non-volatile substance of interest on a sampling trap;

inserting the trap into a thermal desorber wherein the thermal desorber comprises the first housing;

generating the vaporized clustering agent by pumping air, using the pump, into the second housing through a cartridge comprising sieves and subjecting the condensed version of the vaporized clustering agent in the second housing to at least one of corona discharge, laser ablation, current-induced desorption, a heating block, or combinations thereof;

introducing the vaporized clustering agent into the desorber, wherein the clustering agent increases the volatility of the substance of interest and wherein the vaporized clustering agent is introduced into the desorber by transferring the vaporized clustering agent from the second housing into the first housing through a transfer line;

vaporizing the substance of interest;

transferring the vaporized substance of interest into a detector;

performing an analysis of the substance of interest; and,

detecting the substance of interest.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent includes at least one of an organic acid, a crown ether, an amine, an ester, an amide or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substance of interest includes at least one of an explosive, an energetic material, a taggant, a narcotic, a toxin, a chemical warfare agent, a biological warfare agent, a pollutant, a pesticide, a toxic industrial chemical, a toxic industrial material, a homemade explosive, a pharmaceutical trace contaminant or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the substance of interest includes at least one of nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, nitrites, chlorites, permanganates, chromates, dichromates, bromates, iodates, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is introduced into the desorber at a flow rate of from about 5 cc/min to about 1,000 cc/min.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is introduced into the desorber at a concentration of from about 0.01 μg/min to about 250 μg/min.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detector includes at least one of an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), an ion trap mobility spectrometer (ITMS), a drift spectrometer (DS), an aspiration ion mobility spectrometer, a non-linear drift spectrometer, a field ion spectrometer (FIS), a radio frequency ion mobility increment spectrometer (IMIS), a field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometer (FAIMS), an ultra-high-field FAIMS, a differential ion mobility spectrometer (DIMS), a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS), a drift spectrometer, a non-linear drift spectrometer, an ultra-high FAIMS, a trapped ion mobility spectrometer (TIMS), a traveling wave ion mobility spectrometer, a semiconductor gas sensor, a raman spectrometer, a laser diode detector, a mass spectrometer (MS), a gas chromatograph (GC), an electron capture detector, a photoionization detector, a chemiluminescence-based detector, an electrochemical sensor, an infrared spectrometer, a lab-on-a-chip detector or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner using at least one of a pulse rate in a range from 0.01 Hz to 10,000 Hz or a pulse width in a range of 1 second to 10 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner using at least one of a pulse rate in a range from 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz or a pulse width in a range of 3 seconds to 7 seconds.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent includes at least one of an organic acid, a crown ether, an amine, an ester, an amide or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the vaporized clustering agent comprises containing the clustering agent in both its condensed and vaporized form within a permeation tube configured in the second housing.

13. A method for detecting a substance of interest using a detection system comprising a pump, a thermal desorber comprising a first housing, and a second housing, separate from the first housing, containing a condensed version of a vaporized clustering agent, the method comprising:

pumping dry air into the second housing using the pump;

subjecting the condensed version of the vaporized clustering agent in the second housing to at least one of corona discharge, laser ablation, current-induced desorption, a heating block, or combinations thereof to generate the vaporized clustering agent;

introducing the vaporized clustering agent into the desorber by transferring the vaporized clustering agent from the second housing into the first housing through a transfer line;

increasing the volatility of a substantially non-volatile substance of interest, wherein the volatility of the substance of interest is increased by applying the vaporized clustering agent to the substance of interest;

vaporizing the substance of interest in the thermal desorber; and,

transferring the vaporized substance of interest into a detector, wherein the detector performs an analysis of the vaporized substance of interest and detects the substance of interest.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent includes at least one of an organic acid, a crown ether, an amine, an ester, an amide or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the substance of interest includes at least one of an explosive, an energetic material, a taggant, a narcotic, a toxin, a chemical warfare agent, a biological warfare agent, a pollutant, a pesticide, a toxic industrial chemical, a toxic industrial material, a homemade explosive, a pharmaceutical trace contaminant or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the substance of interest includes at least one of nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, nitrites, chlorites, permanganates, chromates, dichromates, bromates, iodates, or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied at a flow rate of from about 5 cc/min to about 1,000 cc/min.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied at a concentration of from about 0.01 μg/min to about 250 μg/min.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the detector includes at least one of an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), an ion trap mobility spectrometer (ITMS), a drift spectrometer (DS), an aspiration ion mobility spectrometer, a non-linear drift spectrometer, a field ion spectrometer (FIS), a radio frequency ion mobility increment spectrometer (IMIS), a field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometer (FAIMS), an ultra-high-field FAIMS, a differential ion mobility spectrometer (DIMS), a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS), a drift spectrometer, a non-linear drift spectrometer, an ultra-high FAIMS, a trapped ion mobility spectrometer (TIMS), a traveling wave ion mobility spectrometer, a semiconductor gas sensor, a raman spectrometer, a laser diode detector, a mass spectrometer (MS), a gas chromatograph (GC), an electron capture detector, a photoionization detector, a chemiluminescence-based detector, an electrochemical sensor, an infrared spectrometer, a lab-on-a-chip detector or combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner using at least one of a pulse rate in a range from 0.01 Hz to 10,000 Hz or a pulse width in a range of 1 second to 10 seconds.

22. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vaporized clustering agent is applied in a pulsed manner using at least one of a pulse rate in a range from 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz or a pulse width in a range of 3 seconds to 7 seconds.