Sampling system, detection device, and method of using the sampling system and / or detection device

Abstract

A sampling system for a detection device comprising: (i) an ion analyzer having an ionizer; and (ii) an optical analysis device for detecting a substance of interest on a sample receiving surface, the sampling system comprising: a detector inlet for obtaining a volume of air to be sampled; a sampling inlet of an ion analyzer positioned within the detector inlet to take a first sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet and provide the first sample to the ionizer; and a sample receiving surface positioned within the detector inlet to receive a second sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet for optical analysis.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of detection devices and methods. For example, the present disclosure relates to sampling systems for detection devices and detection devices including such sampling systems. The present disclosure also relates to methods of operating such sampling systems and / or detection devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Many different spectroscopic techniques exist for identifying substances of interest within a given sample. Implementations of these techniques can be used to detect the presence of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) or hazardous chemicals (TICs), or other chemicals of interest, including, for example, explosives or their precursors. For such implementations, various sampling methods are typically implemented. In some cases, dedicated volatile sampling ("vapor draw mode") is implemented. In other cases, the sample is typically provided on a substrate of some form. The substrate and sample are then heated to desorb the sample from the substrate as a vapor. This vapor is then delivered to a detector that measures properties of the vapor and detects the presence of the substance of interest based on these measurements. For example, in ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS) or mass spectrometry (MS), ionized molecules can be identified based on their mobility in a carrier buffer gas or air, or other properties. Detection devices that utilize these techniques to detect the presence of harmful or illegal substances, such as CWAs or TICs, are known.

[0003] Aspects of the disclosure are set out in independent claims, with optional features set out in dependent claims. Aspects of the disclosure may be provided in conjunction with each other, and features of one aspect may be applicable to other aspects. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In one aspect, a sampling system for a detection device is provided that includes (i) an ion analyzer having an ionizer and (ii) an optical analyzer (e.g., a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-SERS-analyzer) that detects a substance of interest on a sample-receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface), the sampling system including a detector inlet for obtaining a volume of air to be sampled, an ion analyzer sampling inlet positioned within the detector inlet to take a first sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet and provide the first sample to the ionizer, and a sample-receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) positioned within the detector inlet to receive a second sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet for optical (e.g., SERS) analysis.

[0005] Embodiments may enable increased reliability of detection of a substance of interest. For example, detecting the presence of the substance of interest using both an ion analyzer with an ionizer and an optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer may enable potentially ambiguous presence of the substance to be confirmed or denied based on both analyses. For example, a positive result obtained from the ion analyzer can be confirmed or denied using the optical analyzer, or a positive result obtained from the optical analyzer can be confirmed or denied using the ion analyzer. In other words, embodiments may enable combined optical activity detection (e.g., SERS detection) and detection by an ion analyzer (e.g., ion mobility spectroscopy or mass spectroscopy). For example, this may enable orthogonal detection to be provided.

[0006] The optical analysis device may be a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-SERS-analysis device that detects a substance of interest on a SERS-active sample-receiving surface. The sample-receiving surface may be an optically active sample-receiving surface that facilitates its optical analysis. The sample-receiving surface of the sampling system may be a SERS-active surface that is positioned to receive a second sample for SERS analysis of the second sample.

[0007] The sample receiving surface (e.g., the SERS-active surface) can be positioned downstream of the sampling inlet of the ion analyzer in the direction of airflow through the detector inlet. For example, the sampling system can include an air moving device configured to provide an airflow through the sampling system (e.g., from an upstream position to a downstream position). The sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) can be positioned such that the airflow through the detector inlet impinges on the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). The sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) can be positioned across the direction of airflow through the detector inlet and / or parallel to the direction of airflow through the detector inlet. The surface can be gas-permeable or solid, i.e., non-gas-permeable. The system can be configured such that air flowing through the detector inlet is caused to flow past the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) to deposit the second sample on the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). The sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) can be positioned to obstruct air from passing through the detector inlet. The sampling inlet can be positioned upstream of the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). In this case, a portion of the air that passes through the sampling inlet but is not drawn into the sampling inlet is directed toward and obstructed by the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). In other examples, the sample receiving surface can be located in the same region as the sampling inlet of the ion analyzer or can be located upstream of the sampling inlet of the ion analyzer.

[0008] The detector inlet may have a housing, e.g., a body, defining a channel through which a gas sample can flow. The detector inlet may form a channel through which the gas sample flows downstream. A portion of the sample may be drawn through the detector inlet. The remainder of the sample may continue downward (e.g., toward the sample receiving surface). A first portion of the gas sample (e.g., a first sample) may be drawn into the ion analyzer (e.g., toward the IMS) for analysis of the first portion by the ion analyzer. A second portion of the gas sample (e.g., a second sample) may contact and be received on the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) for optical (e.g., SERS) analysis of the second portion. In other words, the sampling inlet includes a portion of the detector inlet that draws a portion of the gas from the detector inlet into the ion analyzer. The sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface) is provided within the detector inlet to receive a sample passing through the region, e.g., for optical analysis of the sample. The first sample may be obtained before, simultaneously with, or after the second sample is obtained. One of the first or second sample may be analyzed only if the analysis of the other of the first or second sample indicates that a substance of interest may be present. The sample may be gaseous. The sample may include a vaporized aerosol (e.g., an aerosol vapor).

[0009] The portion of the detector inlet may be positioned to allow optical (e.g., SERS) measurements to be taken from the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). The portion of the detector inlet may be positioned to provide one or more light sources and / or one or more photodetectors with optical access to the sample receiving surface. For example, the light source may include a Raman light source, and the photodetector may include a Raman detector. The Raman light source and the Raman detector may be arranged in a reflectance mode, e.g., the Raman detector may be arranged to detect light reflected from the SERS-active surface. The portion of the detector inlet may include one or more openings in the detector inlet. The system may include a heater that heats the sample receiving surface (the SERS-active surface). The heater may be operable to drive accumulated material away from the surface. For example, the heater may be controlled to be switched on to initiate heating to release the analyzed sample. The heater may then be controlled to be switched off to allow subsequent measurements on the surface. The sampling inlet of the ion analyzer may include a pinhole inlet. The sampling system may be for use with an ion analyzer, including an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) or a mass spectrometer (MS). As noted above, the optical analyzer may include a SERS analyzer. Additionally or alternatively, the system may include any suitable type of optical analyzer and / or any type of surface-enhanced spectroscopy. Exemplary optical analyzer methods include the use of infrared (IR) analyzers. The optical analyzer, e.g., the IR analyzer, may include a transmission-based (e.g., light passes through the substrate) or reflection-based (e.g., light is reflected from the substrate) analyzer. For example, a cross-flow IR analyzer may be used.

[0010] In one aspect, a detection device for detecting substances of interest is provided, the detection device comprising a sampling system as disclosed herein, an ion analyzer having an ionizer coupled to the sampling system and configured to identify the presence of one or more substances of interest in the first sample provided to the ion analyzer via a sampling inlet of the ion analyzer of the sampling system, and an optical analyzer (e.g., a SERS analyzer) coupled to the sampling system and configured to identify the presence of substances of interest in the second sample received by the sample receiving surface.

[0011] The ion analyzer may include an IMS or an IS. The device may include a thermal desorption device (e.g., a thermal desorption module) that generates a vapor sample that is provided to the detector inlet as the sample. For example, the thermal desorption device may be positioned upstream of the detector inlet to generate a gas sample that is provided to the detector inlet.

[0012] The device receives the first and second samples from the same volume of air flowing through the detector inlet of the sampling system. The device may be configured to selectively control the operation of two analytical devices. For example, the device may be configured to initially perform an analysis using one of the two analytical devices immediately before performing an analysis using the other of the two analytical devices. The device may be configured so that one of the two analytical devices is used only if the other of the two analytical devices detects the presence of a substance of interest. For example, one of the two analytical devices may be used only as a confirmatory analytical device, e.g., to confirm or refute results obtained by the other of the two analytical devices.

[0013] The device may be configured to selectively control operation of at least one of (i) the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer based on operation of the ion analyzer and / or (ii) the ion analyzer based on operation of the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer. The device may be configured to determine that a substance of interest is present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system based on analyses performed by both the ion analyzer and the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer. The device may be configured to determine that the substance of interest is present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system when both (i) the analysis performed by the ion analyzer and (ii) the analysis performed by the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer indicate the presence of the substance of interest. The device may be configured to determine that the substance of interest is not present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system when at least one of (i) the analysis performed by the ion analyzer or (ii) the analysis performed by the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer indicates the absence of the substance of interest. For example, the device may be configured to determine that the substance of interest is not present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system if one of the analyses indicates the presence of the substance but another of the analyses does not indicate the presence of the substance.

[0014] The apparatus may be configured to control the operation of the ion analyzer to identify one or more substances of interest present in the first sample, and if a substance of interest is identified in the first sample using the ion analyzer, the apparatus may be configured to control the operation of the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer to identify a substance of interest present in the second sample. The apparatus may be configured to control the operation of the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer to identify one or more substances of interest present in the second sample, and if a substance of interest is identified in the second sample using the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer, the apparatus may be configured to control the operation of the ion analyzer to identify a substance of interest present in the first sample. The apparatus may initially be configured to use only one active analyzer. The apparatus may be configured to use only a second analyzer if the first analyzer indicates the presence of a substance of interest. For example, the apparatus may be configured to perform optical (e.g., SERS) analysis of second samples until one of the second samples contains the substance of interest. If the optical (eg, SERS) analysis indicates the presence of the substance of interest, the device may be configured to perform the ion analysis (eg, analyze the sample using IMS or MS).

[0015] The operation of the second analyzer may be controlled based on the results from the first analyzer. For example, if the first analyzer indicates the presence of a first substance of interest, the second analyzer may be controlled based on the first substance of interest. For example, multiple analyzers may each have different operating configurations, and a particular operating configuration may be selected based on the first substance of interest to be identified. For example, a detection configuration (e.g., detection algorithm) of a particular ion analyzer may be used based on the first substance of interest detected by the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer.

[0016] The device may be configured to provide an output signal indicative of the detected substance of interest. The output signal may include whether one of the two analytical devices indicated that the substance of interest was present, or whether both of the two analytical devices indicated that the substance of interest was present. For example, the output signal may provide a confidence result regarding how likely the output is to be correct based on whether only one of the two analytical devices indicated that the substance of interest was present in the sample, or whether both of the two analytical devices indicated that the substance of interest was present in the sample.

[0017] In one aspect, a method for controlling operation of a sampling system for a detection device including (i) an ion analyzer having an ionizer and (ii) an optical analyzer (e.g., a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-SERS-analyzer) for detecting a substance of interest on a sample-receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) is provided, the method comprising flowing air through a detector inlet of the sampling system, drawing a first sample through the detector inlet and providing the first sample to an ionizer of the ion analyzer, and receiving a second sample from the detector inlet on a sample-receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) within the detector inlet.

[0018] In one aspect, a method for controlling operation of a detection device to identify the presence of substances of interest in a volume of air flowing through a detector inlet of a sampling system of the detection device is provided, the method comprising at least one of the steps of: (i) operating an ion analyzer to identify the presence of one or more substances of interest in a first sample drawn through the detector inlet, and, if the ion analyzer identifies the presence of the one or more substances of interest in the first sample, operating an optical analyzer (e.g., a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy—SERS-analyzer) to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) within the detector inlet; and (ii) operating the optical analyzer (e.g., a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy—SERS-analyzer) to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) within the detector inlet, and, if the optical analyzer identifies the presence of the one or more substances of interest in the second sample, operating the ion analyzer to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in the first sample drawn through the detector inlet.

[0019] In one aspect, a method for detecting the presence of a substance of interest in a volume of air flowing through a detector inlet of a sampling system is provided, the method comprising: determining whether a first substance of interest is present in a first sample drawn through the detector inlet based on ion analyzer data from ion analysis of the first sample; determining whether the first substance of interest is present in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface (e.g., a SERS-active surface) within the detector inlet based on optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer data from optical (e.g., SERS) analysis of the second sample; and indicating the presence of the first substance of interest when it is determined that the first substance of interest is present in both the ion analyzer data and the optical (e.g., SERS) analyzer data.

[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure provide one or more computer program products including computer program instructions configured to control operation of a controller to cause the controller to perform any of the methods disclosed herein. For example, the computer program instructions may be configured to control operation of a detector to perform sample analysis using an ion analyzer, such as an IMS or MS, and an optical analyzer, such as a SERS analyzer or an IR analyzer, as disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] Some examples of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sampling system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a detector.

[0022] In the drawings, like reference numbers are used to indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that utilize optical analysis, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ("SERS"), in combination with additional detection techniques. To this end, a sample being analyzed can be divided so that a portion of the sample is analyzed using a SERS analyzer and another portion of the sample is analyzed using a different analytical technique, such as using an ion mobility spectrometer ("IMS"). The combined use of two different detection approaches can increase the reliability of detection of the sample. The present disclosure includes a sampling system for providing separate detection streams: (i) a detection stream for SERS detection and (ii) a detection stream for a different (e.g., IMS) detection. The sampling system may receive a sample through a detector inlet, and the sample may flow through the sampling system. A portion of the sample may flow through an ion analyzer sampling inlet of the sampling system to a detector where the portion of the sample is analyzed. Another portion of the sample may flow over a SERS-active surface, where the portion of the sample may be SERS-analyzed. The SERS-active surface may obstruct the flow path through a sampling inlet (e.g., downstream of the sampling inlet of an ion analyzer) such that at least a portion of the sample that does not flow to the detector must pass through the SERS surface, thereby causing a portion of the sample to deposit on the SERS surface.

[0024] Next, an example of a sampling system will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a sampling system 10. The sampling system 10 includes a detector inlet for obtaining a volume of air to be sampled. The sampling system 10 is formed of a body 12. The sampling system 10 also includes a sampling inlet 14 and a sample-receiving surface for receiving a sample to be optically analyzed. In the example of FIG. 1, the sample-receiving surface is a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ("SERS")-active surface 18 (i.e., a SERS-active surface to be SERS-analyzed). A detector 100 is shown connected to the sampling inlet 14. An optional heater 19 is also shown in FIG. 1. A line through the body 12 indicates the flow direction of the volume of air to be sampled.

[0026] Sampling system 10 may also include multiple optical apertures 16. One or more light sources 28 are shown, as well as one or more photodetectors 38. In FIG. 1, light sources 28 and detectors 38 are shown as the same component. For example, each light source 28 and detector 38 pair may be arranged in a reflective configuration (where the detector 38 detects reflected emitted light). The sinusoidal curves represent light photons (helpful in illustrating the path of light between light source 28 and photodetector 38). Detector 100, light source 28, and photodetector 38 are shown with dashed lines because they may be provided by components separate from those of sampling system 10.

[0027] The body 12 of the sampling system 10 provides a housing through which gas flows. The body 12 defines a channel through which gas flows through the sampling system 10. The sampling system 10 may include an air-moving device, such as a pump or fan. The air-moving device may control the movement of air through the sampling system 10. The air-moving device may operate to force air to flow through the body 12 (e.g., as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 ).

[0028] The sampling inlet 14 is disposed in the body 12. For example, the sampling inlet 14 may include a pinhole inlet. The pinhole inlet may be disposed in the body 12. The sampling inlet 14 may optionally include a membrane (for selectively controlling the flow of air toward the detector 100). The detector 100 is connected to the sampling inlet 14.

[0029] The SERS surface 18 is disposed within the body 12 (within a channel defined by the body 12 through which gas flows). As shown in FIG. 1, the SERS surface 18 is located downstream of the sampling inlet 14. In other examples, the SERS surface 18 may be located upstream of or at the sampling inlet 14. In various embodiments, SERS analysis is provided in parallel with an ion analyzer (e.g., so that different portions of the same sample are analyzed in different ways). For example, SERS analysis can be performed as a prefilter for performing an ion analyzer analysis. As seen by the arrows in FIG. 1, gas flows (from left to right) through the body 12. For example, an air moving device in the sampling system 10 can be configured to provide such a controlled flow of gas through the body.

[0030] Sampling system 10 is positioned to divert a portion of gas flowing through body 12 toward detector 100. For example, detector 100 may include a suction element configured to draw air from a channel in body 12 through sampling inlet 14 toward the detector. Sampling inlet 14 may include, for example, a pinhole inlet and / or a membrane covering to inhibit unintended flow of gas through sampling inlet 14. In other words, sampling system 10 may be configured to selectively actively draw gas through sampling inlet 14 (e.g., when the gas is to be sampled by detector 100).

[0031] Gas moving through the channels of body 12 that is not drawn into sampling inlet 14 continues to flow downstream of the sampling inlet (e.g., as controlled by an air moving device). Sampling system 10 is positioned so that a portion of the air flowing downstream of sampling inlet 14 is supplied to SERS surface 18.

[0032] The channel in the body 12 may provide a detector inlet. The channel in the body 12 (e.g., the detector inlet) may be positioned to receive a sample to be analyzed. The sample may include a gas—such as gas desorbed from a swab (or other suitable sample collection means). Additionally or alternatively, the sample may include an aerosol (e.g., a vaporized aerosol). For example, the device of the present disclosure may be configured to convert the aerosol into a vapor (e.g., using a heater), which may then provide the sample to be analyzed. The sampling system 10 is positioned such that a portion of the air flowing through the channel in the body 12 (e.g., supplied from the sample to be analyzed) is supplied to the detector 100 (via the sampling inlet 14), and a portion of the air flowing through the channel in the body is supplied to the SERS surface 18. An air moving device may be positioned to control the flow of air from where it is received at the detector inlet from the sample (e.g., from a thermal desorption module) and then flows through the channel in the body 12 toward the analyzer. The sampling system is operable to extract a portion of the air through the sampling inlet 14 (e.g., by suctioning into the area) and to supply a portion of the air to the SERS surface (e.g., as the air continues to flow through the channels in the body 12 and past the sampling inlet 14).

[0033] The SERS surface 18 can be disposed across the channel of the body 12 (as shown in FIG. 1 ). The SERS surface 18 can extend across a majority of the width of the channel. For example, the SERS surface 18 can obstruct a majority of the cross-sectional area of ​​the channel. The SERS surface 18 can extend across the channel to obstruct gas flow through the channel. For example, the SERS surface 18 can be substantially perpendicular (e.g., vertical) to the direction of flow through the channel (e.g., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body 12). The SERS surface 18 can be at least partially gas permeable, or the surface 18 can be provided by a solid (e.g., non-permeable) substrate.

[0034] However, it will be understood that the SERS surface 18 may be provided in additional or alternative configurations. For example, the SERS surface 18 may be positioned parallel to the direction of air flow through the channel. The SERS surface 18 may be positioned such that as air containing the sample material moves through the channel, at least a portion of the sample material is presented on the SERS surface 18.

[0035] The heater 19 may be disposed adjacent to the SERS surface 18. It will be appreciated that any suitable heater may be provided, such as a resistive heater (as shown in FIG. 1) or an alternative heating mechanism, such as an infrared heater. If a resistive heater is used, the heater 19 may include one or more portions of a material having sufficient electrical resistance to generate heat in response to an electrical current passing therethrough. Such a conductor may be connected to the SERS surface 18, e.g., electrically connected to at least a portion of the SERS surface 18.

[0036] The optical aperture 16 may comprise an optically transparent region of the body 12. For example, the optical aperture 16 may be an opening in the body 12 (e.g., a region where no material is present) or may be a region of material in the body 12 that is optically transparent. The optical aperture 16 may be located proximate to the SERS surface 18. The optical aperture 16 may be located both upstream and downstream of the SERS surface 18, or may be located on only one side of the SERS surface 18 (as shown in FIG. 1 ). The sampling system 10 may have optical apertures 16 for one or more (e.g., multiple) light sources 28. The sampling system 10 may have optical apertures 16 for one or more (e.g., multiple) photodetectors 38.

[0037] 1, the optical aperture 16 (both the light source 28 and the detector 38) is upstream of the SERS surface 18. However, it will be understood that this is not intended to be limiting. The light source 28 and / or the detector 38 can be provided on either or both of the SERS surface 18. For example, both the light source 28 and the photodetector 38 can be provided on the same side of the SERS surface 18. The light source 28 and the detector 38 can be positioned such that they are provided in sufficient proximity to the SERS surface 18 so that they can be used to perform SERS analysis on a sample on the SERS surface 18.

[0038] In the example of Figure 1, the sample-receiving surface is a SERS surface 18. However, it should be understood that other forms of optical analysis can be used. For example, an infrared analyzer may be provided to optically analyze the sample-receiving surface. In the case of a SERS surface 18, the light source 28 and detector 38 may be provided in a reflective configuration (e.g., so that the detector 38 detects reflected light from the light source 28). In the case of an infrared surface, the light source 28 and detector 38 may be provided in a transmissive configuration (e.g., so that the detector 38 is on the opposite side of the surface from the light source 28).

[0039] The sampling system 10 is positioned to receive a gaseous substance to be sampled. Although not shown, a gas sample receiving region may be positioned upstream of the portion of the sampling system 10 shown in FIG. 1 . That is, the sampling system 10 may include an intake region through which a gas sample is drawn into the sampling system 10, such as from a swab. The sampling system 10 is configured to provide a flow-through configuration. The sampling system 10 is configured so that a gas sample is provided as an input to the sampling system 10 and flows through the sampling system 10. An air-moving device may be configured to operate to provide this flow of the sample through the channels of the body 12. For example, the air-moving device may be configured to direct the gaseous sample downstream from an upstream location (e.g., a location that receives the gaseous sample from a swab, etc.). The air-moving device is configured to control the flow of the gaseous sample downstream toward the sampling inlet 14 (and toward the SERS surface 18). The sampling system 10 and / or the detector 100 may be positioned to draw at least a portion of the received gas sample through the sampling inlet 14 toward the detector 100. The air moving device is configured to flow the received gas sample through the channel such that at least a portion of the sample is provided on a SERS surface 18 within the channel.

[0040] The sampling system 10 can be configured to deliver neutral analytes from the same sample (through the sampling inlet 14) to both the detector 100 and the SERS surface 18. The sampling system 10 is configured to (i) deliver a first portion of the gaseous sample (through the sampling inlet 14) to the detector 100 and (ii) deliver a second portion of the same gaseous sample to the SERS surface 18. The sampling system 10 is configured to facilitate parallel detection using the detector 100 (e.g., an IMS) and a SERS analyzer (which analyzes the sample delivered to the SERS surface 18). In other words, the sampling system 10 is configured to redistribute multiple portions of the same sample to one of two different analyzable regions. The sampling system 10 has the sampling inlet 14 positioned upstream of the SERS surface 18. The detector 100 (or an air moving device of the sampling system 10) can be configured to draw a portion of the sample to be analyzed by the detector 100 from the flow path through a channel in the body 12 (through the sampling inlet 14) toward the detector 100. The sampling system 10 is configured to deliver a portion of the remaining portion of the sample (to be SERS analyzed) towards the SERS surface 18 .

[0041] The body 12 may be positioned to define a fluid flow path for the gas sample. The body 12 may be positioned to restrict gas flow through the channels of the body 12 from upstream to downstream. An upstream portion of the body 12 may be positioned to receive the gas sample. The body 12 may be positioned to guide the gas sample toward the SERS surface 18. The sampling inlet 14 may be positioned in the body 12 upstream of the SERS surface 18. The sampling inlet 14 may be positioned to receive a portion of the gas flowing through the channels in the body 12 (e.g., a portion of the gas flowing through the channels in the body 12 may be actively drawn through the sampling inlet 14—through a pinhole inlet). The sampling system 10 is configured to operate such that a portion of the gas flowing through the channels toward the SERS surface 18 instead flows through the sampling inlet 14 (toward the detector 100). The body 12 is positioned so that the remaining portion of the gas flows toward the SERS surface 18, where a portion of the sample is presented onto the SERS surface 18 (and a portion flows beyond the SERS surface 18, e.g., toward the outlet of the sampling system 10).

[0042] The detector 100 is configured to detect the presence of one or more substances of interest in a portion of a sample provided to the detector 100. The detector 100 includes an ion analyzer having an ionizer. The ionizer is configured to ionize a portion of the sample provided to the detector 100. The ion analyzer is configured to analyze the ions to detect the presence of the substances of interest in the sample. The detector 100 may be any suitable detector, such as a spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, an ion mobility spectrometer ("IMS"), or the like. The detector 100 may be configured to detect the presence of the substances of interest based on one or more characteristics of the sample, such as the mobility or mass of the sample and / or the mobility or mass of ions ionized from the sample. The detector 100 may be configured to receive neutral analytes through the sampling inlet 14. The detector 100 may be configured to ionize the neutral analytes and perform detection on the ionized sample. Conversely, the sample deposited on the SERS surface 18 may be neutral analytes (e.g., not ionized by the ionizer). An example of a detector 100 is described in detail below in connection with the IMS shown in FIG.

[0043] The SERS surface 18 may be positioned to impede gas flow through the channel from an upstream position to a downstream position. For example, the SERS surface 18 may be positioned within the channel such that at least a portion of the gas sample flowing within the channel downstream of the sampling inlet 14 is deposited on the SERS surface 18. The sampling system 10 may be positioned to force (a majority of) the gas sample to flow through the SERS surface 18. The SERS surface 18 may be positioned such that some of the gas flows therethrough, while some of the gas does not, providing a portion of the sample on the SERS surface 18 (where it may be subjected to SERS analysis).

[0044] The light sources 28, photodetectors 38, and SERS surface 18 can comprise a SERS analyzer. The SERS analyzer can be configured to perform SERS analysis on any substance on the SERS surface 18. The SERS analyzer can include one or more light sources 28 arranged to direct light onto the SERS surface 18. Each light source 28 can be positioned adjacent to an optical aperture 16 of the body 12 so that the line of sight at the SERS surface 18 is within a channel. The light sources 28 can include lasers. Each of the photodetectors 38 can be positioned adjacent to an optical aperture 16 of the body 12 so that the line of sight at the SERS surface 18 is within a channel. The photodetectors 38 can be positioned to detect scattered light from a sample on the SERS surface 18. The SERS analyzer can be configured to determine one or more properties of the sample based on the wavelength of the scattered light received by the photodetectors 28. The SERS analyzer can be configured to determine whether a substance of interest is present in the sample based on Raman scattered light from the sample (e.g., based on the wavelength of the Raman scattered light). The SERS analyzer may be positioned in the sampling system 10 downstream of the sampling inlet 14 so that the portion of the sample that is (ionized) and analyzed by the detector 100 is different from the portion of the same sample that is analyzed by the SERS analyzer. The detector 100 is positioned to analyze analyte ions, and the SERS analyzer is positioned to analyze neutral analytes.

[0045] The heater 19 is selectively operable to heat the SERS surface 18. The heater 19 may comprise a resistive heater 19 arranged to generate heat in response to a voltage applied to the heater 19. The heater 19 may be arranged to heat the SERS surface 18 to remove material that has accumulated on the SERS surface 18 (e.g., a sample previously deposited on the surface). The heater 19 may be controlled to heat the SERS surface 18 before a subsequent SERS analysis is performed (e.g., after the SERS analyzer has performed a previous SERS analysis on the sample on the SERS surface 18).

[0046] Although not shown in FIG. 1 , sampling system 10 may be provided in combination with a flow control system. The flow control system may include one or more air-moving devices, such as a pump or fan (as described above). The flow control system may be arranged to provide sampling system 10 with the fluid flow dynamics described above (e.g., to cause the gas sample to flow downstream through sampling system 10). Sampling system 10 may comprise a flow control system; for example, sampling system 10 may include one or more air-moving devices arranged to control the flow of air through body 12 (e.g., sampling system 10 may include one or more pumps). Additionally or alternatively, the flow control system may be provided by an external device, such as a device arranged upstream and / or downstream of sampling system 10, or the flow control system may be provided as part of detector 100.

[0047] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a detection apparatus including the detector 100, sampling system 10, and SERS analyzer described above. Such a detection apparatus may also include a controller configured to control operation of the detection apparatus. The controller may be coupled to the detector 100 to control its operation and / or receive signals from the detector 100 indicative of the presence of any substance of interest in the sample analyzed by the detector 100. The controller may be coupled to the SERS analyzer to control its operation and / or receive signals therefrom indicative of the presence of any substance of interest in the sample analyzed by the SERS analyzer. The controller may be coupled to a flow control system to selectively control the flow of gas through the sampling system 10.

[0048] The controller is configured to determine whether a substance of interest is present in a sample based on both (i) an analysis performed by the detector 100 on a first portion of the sample (e.g., containing analyte ions) and (ii) a SERS analysis performed by the SERS analyzer on a second portion of the same sample (e.g., containing neutral analytes). The controller may be configured to confirm or refute an analysis performed by one analyzer using the other analyzer. For example, a SERS analysis can be used to confirm / refute an IMS analysis, or vice versa. As an example, the use of IMS may be limited by only performing an analysis of a sample using IMS if the SERS analysis indicates the substance of interest is present in the sample.

[0049] The controller may be configured to confirm the presence of a substance of interest in a sample if both the analysis from the detector 100 and the analysis from the SERS analyzer indicate that the substance of interest is present in the sample. For example, the controller may be configured to indicate that a substance of interest is present in a sample only if both the detector 100 and the SERS analyzer indicate the presence of the substance of interest. For example, if two different substances have similar ion mobilities, the detector 100 may not be able to distinguish which of the two different substances is present. However, using a SERS analyzer may enable that determination (similarly, an IMS may be able to distinguish between two different substances that a SERS analyzer cannot).

[0050] The controller may be configured to determine that the substance of interest is absent if the detector 100 indicates that the substance of interest is present in the sample but the SERS analyzer indicates that the substance of interest is absent (or vice versa). The controller may be configured to determine that the substance of interest is present in the sample if both the detector 100 and the SERS analyzer indicate that the substance of interest is present.

[0051] The controller may be configured to selectively use one of the plurality of analyzers based on the output from the other analyzers. For example, the controller may be configured to use only the SERS analyzer when the detector 100 indicates that a substance of interest has been identified in the sample (e.g., when the detector 100 identifies one or more substances in the sample that have similar properties, such as ion mobility or mass characteristics, to the substance of interest), and vice versa (e.g., to use only the IMS when the SESR analyzer indicates the presence of the substance of interest). For example, when the controller receives an indication that the detector 100 has identified such a substance of interest in the sample, the controller can control operation of the SERS analyzer to perform a SERS analysis on the substance received by the SERS surface 18 in the sampling system 10. The controller can determine whether the substance of interest is present based on subsequent SERS analysis performed on the sample. This approach can reduce the number of times the SERS analyzer is used. For example, the SERS analyzer can be used only when the detector 100 indicates that the substance of interest may be present in the sample. That is, the number of times IMS is used can be reduced by using it only when the SERS analyzer indicates the substance of interest is present.

[0052] The controller may be configured to control the operation of the flow control system (e.g., one or more air moving devices) and / or heater 19. The controller may be configured to control the flow control system so that a gas sample flows through sampling system 10, a portion of the sample is drawn through sampling inlet 14 to detector 100, and a portion of the sample is provided to SERS surface 18. The controller may be configured to control the operation of the flow control system so that a new sample is not supplied through sampling system 10 until it is determined whether the substance of interest was present in the original sample. For example, the controller may control the flow control system to stop driving the flow of sample through sampling system 10 until it is determined whether the substance of interest is present. Once the controller determines whether the substance of interest is present in the sample (e.g., after results from detector 100 and, optionally, from the SERS analyzer), the controller can control the operation of heater 19 to heat SERS surface 18 and desorb any substances from SERS surface 18 (e.g., that may be driven downstream of SERS surface 18). The controller can then control the flow control system to provide new sample to the sampling system 10 for analysis by the detector 100 and potentially a SERS analyzer.

[0053] During operation, a gas sample flow is delivered through a channel within the main body 12 of the sampling system 10. An initial portion of the gas sample is drawn through the sampling inlet 14 into the detector 100. The detector 100 ionizes and analyzes the first portion of the sample. A second portion of the same gas sample is delivered to the SERS surface 18 in the flow path downstream of the sampling inlet 14. If analysis of the first portion of the sample indicates that a substance of interest may be present in the sample, a SERS analysis is performed on the material deposited on the SERS surface 18. If the SERS analysis indicates that the substance of interest is not present in the sample, the detector 100 outputs a false alarm indicating a false positive (e.g., a substance with similar properties to the substance of interest was present in the sample, but is not the substance of interest). If the SERS analysis indicates that the substance of interest is present in the sample and is the same as the substance indicated by the detector 100, a warning is output indicating the substance of interest is present in the sample. The heater 19 can be used to heat the SERS surface 18 to remove the sample thereon (e.g., each time a new surface is applied to the SERS surface 18).

[0054] However, it will be understood that in the context of the present disclosure, this sequential order need not be performed. For example, detection data may be obtained from both the SERS analyzer and the detector 100 for each sample. The controller can determine whether a substance of interest is present based on both data streams for each sample.

[0055] As will be appreciated in the context of this disclosure, detector 100 may be provided by a number of different forms of detector, including any suitable spectrometer, such as a mass spectrometer, an IMS, etc., to name a few. Reference is now made to Figure 2, which illustrates one example of a detector that may be used as described above.

[0056] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a partial cross section through a detector in the form of an ion mobility spectrometer (“IMS”) 280 .

[0057] 2 includes an ionizer 288 separated from a drift chamber 292 by a gate 282. The gate 282 can control the passage of ions from the ionizer 288 to the drift chamber 292. As shown, the IMS 280 includes an inlet 281 for introducing material from a sample of interest into the ionizer 288 (e.g., via an inlet passage opening).

[0058] 2, a drift chamber 292 is between the ionizer 288 and the detector 287, allowing ions to reach the detector 287 by traversing the drift chamber 292. The drift chamber 292 may include a series of drift electrodes 283, 284 for applying a voltage profile along the drift chamber 292 to cause ions from the ionizer 288 to move along the drift chamber 292 toward the detector 287.

[0059] IMS 280 can be configured to provide a flow of drift gas in a direction generally opposite the path of ion travel to detector 287. For example, drift gas flows adjacent detector 287 toward gate 282. As shown, drift gas inlet 289 and drift gas outlet 290 can be used to pass drift gas through the drift chamber. Examples of drift gases include, but are not limited to, nitrogen, helium, air, recycled air (e.g., cleaned and / or dried air), etc.

[0060] The detector 287 may be coupled to provide a signal to the detector controller 294. The current from the detector 287 may be used by the controller 294 to infer that an ion has reached the detector 287. A characteristic of the ion may be determined based on the time it takes the ion to pass from the gate 282 along the drift chamber 292 to the detector 287. An example detector 287 is configured to provide a signal indicating that an ion has reached the detector 287. For example, the detector may include an electrically conductive electrode (such as a Faraday plate).

[0061] The electrodes 283, 284 may be positioned to direct ions towards the detector 287, for example, the drift electrodes 283, 284 may comprise rings positioned around the drift chamber 292 to focus ions onto the detector 287. In the example of Figure 2, there are only two drift electrodes 283, 284, but in some examples multiple electrodes may be used or a single electrode may be used in conjunction with the detector 287 to apply an electric field that directs ions towards the detector 287.

[0062] Although spectrometer 280 is shown including ion-modifying electrodes 285, 286 disposed within the drift chamber, it should be understood that in the context of this disclosure, these may not be included.

[0063] 2, voltage supply 293 is coupled to be controlled by controller 294. Voltage supply 293 may be coupled to supply a voltage to ionizer 288 to enable ionization of sample materials. In one embodiment, voltage supply 293 is coupled to gate electrode 282 to control the passage of ions from the ionization chamber to drift chamber 292. Voltage supply 293 may be coupled to drift electrodes 283, 284 to provide a voltage profile to move ions from ionizer 288 toward detector 287.

[0064] As described above, the drift electrodes 283, 284 can provide a voltage profile that moves ions along the drift chamber as they travel from the ionizer toward the detector. As shown in Figure 2, the first ion modifying electrode 285 and the second ion modifying electrode 286 can be spaced apart in the direction of ion travel.

[0065] The spectrometer and voltage supply may be housed in a common housing. In spectroscopic analysis, the number of ions may be measured by peaks on the spectrum, and the height of the peak may be an indication of the number of ions reaching the detector at a particular time. Ions produced by the reaction of neutral molecules of the substance of interest are sometimes called "daughter ions," and the starting ions from which daughter ions are produced are sometimes called "parent ions."

[0066] As mentioned above, other types of detectors may be used, such as mass spectrometers, such as time-of-flight mass spectrometers, in which the mass-to-charge ratio of ions is inferred from their time of flight through a vacuum. In other types of mass spectrometers, ions are separated by other methods based on their mass-to-charge ratio, such as deflection under electric or magnetic fields.

[0067] The detection device, including the detector, sampling system 10, and SERS analyzer, may be provided in a portable unit.

[0068] As disclosed herein, the detection device of the present disclosure can use a SERS analyzer to perform SERS analysis on a SERS surface. Such a SERS analyzer can be configured to provide excitation radiation in bands typical for Raman, such as near-infrared (e.g., 850 nm or 780 nm), visible (e.g., 635 nm or 532 nm), and / or potentially UV (e.g., 250 nm), to the active surface of the SERS surface. The SERS analyzer can be configured to collect radiation scattered by the SERS surface and analyze the scattered radiation to provide spectroscopic data corresponding to the Raman signal of a sample (e.g., a sample provided on the SERS surface). This spectroscopic data can be provided to a controller that provides the data for storage and / or processing, or for communication to further devices.

[0069] Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), is a surface-sensitive technique that enhances Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on appropriately decorated surfaces with nanostructures, such as plasmonic nanoparticles. For example, one method for SERS measurements involves depositing a sample on a silicon or glass surface with nanostructured noble metal inclusions. The surface is often prepared by distributing metal nanoparticles on the surface. The most commonly used metals for visible-light SERS are silver and gold. Aluminum has also been proposed for UV SERS. To reduce costs, SERS-active particles can be deposited on a substrate. For example, nanoparticles can be deposited on a substrate, allowing SERS to be performed on the sample on the substrate.

[0070] The SERS surfaces of the present disclosure may be decorated with gold nanoparticles, possibly in a regular array. The SERS surface may be selected to have reduced or no background fluorescence at the wavelength selected for SERS analysis (e.g., 850 nm, 780 nm, 633 nm, 532 nm, or 400 nm). Examples of SERS surfaces include paper-based and / or other cellulose-based substrates decorated with gold or silver nanoparticles. Other examples include membrane-based substrates (e.g., PTFE and / or substrates commonly used in gas filters, such as micro- / nano-porous glass) decorated with gold or silver nanoparticles. Other examples include fabric-based substrates such as carbon cloth, graphene, or graphite sheets, and / or silicone or semiconductor structures (all of which may be decorated with gold or silver nanoparticles).

[0071] It will be understood from the above discussion that the embodiments shown in the figures are merely exemplary and include features that may be generalized, omitted, or substituted as described herein and in the claims. Referring generally to the figures, it will be understood that schematic functional block diagrams are used to illustrate the functionality of the systems and apparatus described herein. Furthermore, processing functionality may be provided by devices supported by electronic devices. However, it will be understood that functionality need not be so divided and should not be taken to imply any particular structure of hardware other than that described and claimed below. The functionality of one or more elements shown in the figures may be further subdivided and / or distributed throughout the apparatus of the present disclosure. In some instances, the functionality of one or more elements shown in the figures may be integrated into a single functional unit.

[0072] As will be understood by those skilled in the art in the context of this disclosure, each embodiment described herein can be implemented in a variety of different ways. Any feature of any aspect of this disclosure may be combined with any of the other aspects of this disclosure. For example, method aspects may be combined with apparatus aspects, and features described with reference to the operation of particular elements of apparatus may be provided in methods that do not use those particular types of apparatus. Furthermore, each feature of each embodiment is intended to be separable from the features with which it is described, unless other features are explicitly stated to be essential to its operation. Each of these separable features may, of course, be combined with any other feature of the embodiment in which it is described, or with any other feature or combination of features of other embodiments described herein. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may be employed without departing from the invention.

[0073] Certain features of the methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, and one or more functions of an apparatus may be implemented in method steps. It will also be understood that, in the context of this disclosure, the methods described herein do not have to be performed in the order described, and not necessarily in the order depicted in the figures. Thus, aspects of the present disclosure described with reference to a product or apparatus are also intended to be implemented as a method, and vice versa. The methods described herein can be implemented by a computer program, hardware, or any combination thereof. Computer programs include software, middleware, firmware, and any combination thereof. Such programs may be provided as signals or network messages or recorded on a computer-readable medium, such as a tangible computer-readable medium that stores a computer program in a non-transitory form. Hardware includes computers, handheld devices, programmable processors, general-purpose processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and arrays of logic gates.

[0074] For example, any controller (and any of the activities and devices outlined herein) can be implemented with fixed logic, such as an assembly of logic gates, or programmable logic, such as software and / or computer program instructions executed by a processor. A controller may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) and associated memory connected to a graphics processing unit (GPU) and its associated memory. Other types of programmable logic include programmable processors, programmable digital logic (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), tensor processing units (TPUs), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROMs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of digital logic, software, code, electronic instructions, flash memory, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, magnetic or optical cards, other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions, or any suitable combination thereof. Such data storage media may also provide data storage for the controller (and any of the devices outlined herein).

[0075] Other embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A sampling system for a detection device comprising: (i) an ion analyzer having an ionizer; and (ii) an optical analyzer for detecting a substance of interest on a sample receiving surface, the sampling system comprising: a detector inlet for obtaining the volume of air to be sampled; a sampling inlet of an ion analyzer positioned within the detector inlet to capture a first sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet and to provide the first sample to the ionizer; a sample receiving surface positioned within the detector inlet to receive the second sample from the volume of air within the detector inlet for optical analysis of the second sample; A sampling system comprising:

2. 10. The sampling system of claim 1, the optical analysis device is a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) analysis device for detecting a substance of interest on a SERS-active sample-receiving surface; the sample receiving surface of the sampling system is a SERS-active surface that receives the second sample for SERS analysis of the second sample. Sampling system.

3. 3. A sampling system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sample receiving surface is located downstream of the ion analyzer inlet in the direction of air flow through the detector inlet.

4. 4. A sampling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sample receiving surface is arranged such that the air flow through the detector inlet impinges on the sample receiving surface, optionally depositing the second sample on the sample receiving surface.

5. 5. The sampling system of claim 4, wherein the sample receiving surface is disposed across the direction of the air flow through the detector inlet.

6. 6. A sampling system as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the sampling system is arranged such that air flowing through the detector inlet is caused to flow past the sample receiving surface, thereby depositing the second sample on the sample receiving surface.

7. A sampling system according to any preceding claim, wherein a portion of the detector inlet is arranged to enable optical measurements to be taken from the sample receiving surface.

8. 8. The sampling system of claim 7, wherein the portion of the detector inlet is positioned to provide one or more light sources and / or one or more light detectors with optical access to the sample receiving surface.

9. 9. The sampling system of claim 7 or 8, wherein the portion of the detector inlet comprises one or more openings in the detector inlet.

10. 10. A sampling system as described in any preceding claim, comprising a heater for heating the sample receiving surface, optionally the heater being operable to drive accumulated material away from the sample receiving surface.

11. 11. The sampling system of claim 1, wherein the sampling inlet of the ion analyzer comprises a pinhole inlet.

12. 12. The sampling system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which is for use in an ion analysis device including an ion mobility spectrometry device (IMS) or a mass spectrometer (MS).

13. 1. A detection device for detecting a substance of interest, comprising: A sampling system according to any one of claims 1 to 12; an ion analyzer having an ionizer coupled to the sampling system and positioned to identify the presence of one or more substances of interest in the first sample provided to the ion analyzer through a sampling inlet of the ion analyzer of the sampling system; an optical analysis device coupled to the sampling system and positioned to identify the presence of a substance of interest in the second sample received by the sample receiving surface; A detection device comprising:

14. 14. The detection apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ion analysis device comprises an IMS or an MS.

15. 15. A detection apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first sample and the second sample are provided from the same volume of air flowing through the detector inlet of the sampling system.

16. 16. A detection device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, configured to selectively control operation of at least one of (i) the optical analysis device based on operation of the ion analysis device, and / or (ii) the ion analysis device based on operation of the optical analysis device.

17. 17. A detection device as described in any one of claims 13 to 16, configured to determine that a substance of interest is present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system based on analysis performed by both the ion analysis device and the optical analysis device.

18. 18. A detection device as described in claim 17, configured to determine that the substance of interest is present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system when both (i) the analysis performed by the ion analysis device and (ii) the analysis performed by the optical analysis device indicate the presence of the substance of interest.

19. 19. A detection device as described in claim 17 or 18, configured to determine that the substance of interest is not present in the air from the detector inlet of the sampling system when at least one of (i) the analysis performed by the ion analysis device or (ii) the analysis performed by the optical (e.g., SERS) analysis device indicates that the substance of interest is not present.

20. The detection device according to any one of claims 13 to 19, the apparatus is configured to control operation of the ion analyzer to identify one or more substances of interest as present in the first sample, and if substances of interest are identified in the first sample using the ion analyzer, the apparatus is configured to control operation of the optical analyzer to identify substances of interest as present in the second sample; the apparatus is configured to control operation of the optical analyzer to identify one or more substances of interest as being present in the second sample, and if substances of interest are identified in the second sample using the optical analyzer, the apparatus is configured to control operation of the ion analyzer to identify substances of interest as being present in the first sample. Detection device.

21. 21. A detection device according to any one of claims 13 to 20, which is handheld and optionally battery powered.

22. 1. A method for controlling operation of a sampling system for a detection device comprising: (i) an ion analyzer having an ionizer; and (ii) an optical analyzer (e.g., a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy - SERS - analyzer) for detecting a substance of interest on a sample receiving surface, comprising: flowing air through a detector inlet of the sampling system; taking in a first sample from the detector inlet and providing the first sample to an ionizer of an ion analyzer; receiving a second sample from the detector inlet on a sample receiving surface within the detector inlet; A method having the following.

23. 1. A method of controlling operation of a detection device to identify the presence of one or more substances of interest in a volume of air flowing through a detector inlet of a sampling system of said detection device, comprising: operating an ion analyzer to identify the presence of one or more substances of interest in a first sample taken through the detector inlet, and, if the ion analyzer identifies the presence of one or more substances of interest in the first sample, operating an optical analyzer to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface within the detector inlet; operating an optical analyzer to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface within the detector inlet, and operating an ion analyzer to identify the presence of the one or more substances of interest in a first sample taken through the detector inlet if the optical analyzer identifies the presence of the one or more substances of interest in the second sample; The method comprising at least one of the following steps:

24. 1. A method for detecting the presence of a substance of interest in a volume of air flowing through a detector inlet of a sampling system, comprising: determining whether a first substance of interest is present in a first sample taken through the detector inlet based on ion analyzer data from ion analysis of the first sample; determining whether the first substance of interest is present in a second sample received on a sample receiving surface within the detector inlet based on optical analyzer data from an optical analysis of the second sample; indicating the presence of the first substance of interest if the first substance of interest is determined to be present in both the ion analyzer data and the optical analyzer data; A method having the following.

25. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions configured to program a control device to control the operation of the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

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