PSRF-100 radio-frequency power supply; two RF-only quadrupole ion guides
The Stanford team used an Ardara PSRF-100 supply to drive two RF-only quadrupole guides at 1.46 MHz in a rapid desorption electrospray ionization sampling system. The guides transported ions through a configuration designed to reduce carryover between sequential samples. The instrument resolved alternating analytes at up to 80 samples per second and a single analyte at 50 samples per second. This paper is an early public example of an Ardara RF supply supporting high-speed ambient ionization and automated sample throughput.
Published by Barbula et al. in Analytical Chemistry (2009).
An Ion Trap-Ion Mobility-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer with Three Ion Sources for Ion/Ion Reactions
Solution used
PSRF-100 radio-frequency power supply; ion funnel
An Ardara PSRF-100 supplied approximately 90 Vpp at 360 kHz to the instrument's ion funnel. The funnel coupled three ion sources to a hybrid ion trap-ion mobility-time of flight platform used for ion/ion reaction studies. The authors reported that the funnel increased total ion signal by roughly sevenfold. Ardara's role was therefore central to ion transmission and sensitivity rather than to a peripheral accessory. The paper also acknowledged Randy Pedder for technical advice, but it did not include an Ardara-affiliated coauthor and is classified here as an independent use.
Published by Zhao et al. in Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2009).
Chip-Scale Quadrupole Mass Filters for Portable Mass Spectrometry
Solution used
Slim-Line electron-impact ionizer; filament and ion-optics supplies
MIT researchers used an Ardara Slim-Line electron-impact ionizer together with Ardara filament and ion-optics power supplies to characterize a microfabricated quadrupole mass filter. The experimental platform demonstrated a mass range to 650 amu and resolving power of about 90 at mass 28 in the second stability region. The application shows Ardara components serving as a dependable source and control stack for evaluating compact, MEMS-based mass analyzers intended for portable instruments. The acknowledgments cite Ardara technical guidance; there was no Ardara coauthor.
Published by Cheung, Velasquez-Garcia, and Akinwande in Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (2010).
University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Slow Photoelectron Velocity-Map Imaging Spectroscopy of Cold Negative Ions
Solution used
Multiple radio-frequency supplies for hexapole, quadrupole, and octupole ion optics
The cryogenic photoelectron imaging instrument used Ardara RF supplies at several stages: a hexapole guide operated near 3 MHz and 200 Vpp, a quadrupole stage near 1.15 MHz, and an octupole trap with RF amplitudes up to 500 Vpp. These stages guided and trapped cold negative ions before velocity-map imaging. The completed system produced ion temperatures of 10 +/- 2 K and spectral peak widths as narrow as 4 inverse centimeters. This is a strong example of Ardara supplies coordinating multiple ion-optical elements in a precision spectroscopy instrument.
Published by Hock et al. in Review of Scientific Instruments (2012).
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Florida State University
21 Tesla Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer: A National Resource for Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Analysis
Solution used
Tuned tank circuits for five injection quadrupoles
Five ion-injection quadrupoles in the 21 T FT-ICR platform were driven through Ardara-tuned tank circuits operating from approximately 2.7 to 3.9 MHz and up to 400 Vpp. The resulting national user instrument delivered more than two million resolving power for bovine serum albumin, mass accuracy below 150 parts per billion, and 68 percent sequence coverage for carbonic anhydrase using combined dissociation methods. Ardara hardware supported the demanding ion-transfer path of a flagship ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometer.
Published by Hendrickson et al. in Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2015).
Mass, Mobility and MSn Measurements of Single Ions Using Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry
Solution used
Two RF-only quadrupole ion guides; energy-selective electrostatic turning quadrupole
The Berkeley charge-detection mass spectrometer incorporated a pair of Ardara RF-only quadrupole guides and an energy-selective electrostatic turning quadrupole. Together, these elements enabled repeated manipulation and measurement of individual highly charged ions. The authors demonstrated MS7 analysis of a single multiply charged, approximately 8 MDa polyethylene glycol ion and reported about one percent energy precision. The work illustrates how Ardara ion optics can support single-particle experiments that require controlled recirculation, selection, and low-loss transport.
Operation and Performance of a Mass-Selective Cryogenic Linear Ion Trap
Solution used
Quadrupole mass filter upstream of a cryogenic linear ion trap
An Ardara quadrupole mass filter provided initial mass selection before ions entered a cryogenic linear ion trap. The platform produced reproducible spectra from 17 to 295 K and used stored-waveform inverse Fourier transform isolation to select fragile, nitrogen-tagged ions for background-free infrared spectroscopy. This use case connects Ardara mass-selection hardware with low-temperature ion chemistry and action spectroscopy, where clean precursor selection and stable transmission directly affect spectral quality.
Published by Tesler et al. in Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2018).
Relative Interfacial Cleavage Energetics of Protein Complexes Revealed by Surface Collisions
Solution used
External multichannel power supply controlling ten surface-induced dissociation lenses
An external Ardara supply controlled ten DC lenses in a surface-induced dissociation device used to interrogate protein-complex interfaces. By varying collision conditions, the team showed that low-energy surface collisions preferentially cleave the weakest interfaces and developed a predictive model using structural interface features. The Ardara supply enabled coordinated control of the SID ion optics, supporting a workflow that linked gas-phase fragmentation patterns to native protein topology and assembly.
Published by Harvey et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019).
Direct Observation of Ion Emission from Charged Aqueous Nanodrops: Effects on Gaseous Macromolecular Charging
Solution used
Two RF quadrupole ion guides; the second guide used for ion accumulation
Two Ardara RF quadrupole guides transported and accumulated charged aqueous nanodrops for charge-detection mass spectrometry; the second guide supported accumulation times up to one second. The study directly observed ion emission from nanodrops 15 to 32 nm in diameter, spanning roughly 1 to 10 MDa and about 50 to 300 elementary charges. This application shows Ardara ion guides operating in a regime far beyond conventional small-molecule analysis, enabling controlled measurements of highly charged nanoscale objects and electrospray charging mechanisms.
Published by Harper et al. in Chemical Science (2021).
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Observation of the Ponderomotive Effect in Non-Valence Bound States of Polyatomic Molecular Anions
Solution used
RF generators for hexapole and octopole ion guides
Ardara RF generators powered the hexapole and octopole guides used to transport and prepare molecular anions for photodetachment spectroscopy. The authors reported the first experimental demonstration of the ponderomotive effect in non-valence-bound states of polyatomic molecular anions. The case is notable because the Ardara RF hardware supported a fundamental molecular-physics measurement in which stable ion guidance and well-controlled fields were prerequisites for observing a subtle light-matter interaction.
Published by Kang et al. in Nature Communications (2021).
FELIX Laboratory, University of Amsterdam, and Radboud University
Gas-Phase Spectroscopy of Photostable PAH Ions from the Mid- to Far-Infrared
Solution used
Electron-impact ionizer for forming radical cations
An Ardara electron-impact ionizer generated radical cations of phenanthrene, pyrene, and perylene for infrared multiple-photon dissociation measurements in a 7 T FT-ICR mass spectrometer. Spectra covering approximately 100 to 1700 inverse centimeters were compared with the NASA Ames PAH database and theoretical predictions. The work demonstrates an Ardara ion source contributing to laboratory astrophysics: producing well-defined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ions needed to interpret unidentified astronomical infrared emission features.
Published by Wiersma et al. in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2022).
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Excited-State Chemistry of the Nitromethane Anion Mediated by the Dipole-Bound States Revealed by Photofragment Action Spectroscopy
Solution used
Radio-frequency quadrupole mass filter for initial mass selection
The experiment used an Ardara RF quadrupole mass filter to isolate nitromethane anions before transfer into a 25 K ion trap for photofragment action spectroscopy. The authors reported the first experimental observation of an excited dipole-bound state of the nitromethane anion and mapped its role in the excited-state reaction pathway. The Ardara filter provided the clean precursor population needed to assign weak, state-specific photochemical features with confidence.
Published by An et al. in Chemical Science (2023).
Protein Complex Heterogeneity and Topology Revealed by Electron Capture Charge Reduction and Surface Induced Dissociation
Solution used
External DC supplies for C-trap offset and surface-induced dissociation voltages
Ardara external supplies provided the C-trap DC offset and surface-induced dissociation voltages in a platform combining electron capture charge reduction with SID. The system was applied to GroEL, a SARS-CoV-2 spike construct, thyroglobulin, and the 50S ribosomal subunit, including charge-reduced signals beyond m/z 100,000. The work shows Ardara voltage control supporting analysis of exceptionally large and heterogeneous assemblies while preserving topology-relevant fragmentation information.
Published by Shaw et al. in ACS Central Science (2024).
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cal Poly, and Bradley University
A Chemical Ionization Residual Gas Analyzer for the Sensitive Detection of Atmospheric Trace Gases
Solution used
Multichannel DC supply for ion optics, digitally controlled through a DAQ
A multichannel Ardara DC supply powered the ion optics in a compact chemical-ionization residual gas analyzer and was digitally controlled through a National Instruments DAQ. The field-deployable instrument was built for less than $50,000, achieved a 20-second, 3-sigma detection limit of 18 ppt for deuterated dimethyl sulfide, and completed three days of ambient sampling. This case broadens the public application record from laboratory mass spectrometry to lower-cost atmospheric trace-gas monitoring.
Published by Wokosin et al. in Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2026).
The Ohio State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Bruker, and Ardara Technologies
Surface-Induced Dissociation of Protein Complexes in a Hybrid Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer
Solution used
Custom surface-induced dissociation device integrated into a 15 T Bruker SolariX XR
The team installed a custom SID assembly in place of the collision cell in a 15 T FT-ICR instrument. With Ardara's Randall Pedder as a coauthor, the collaboration demonstrated surface-collision analysis of protein complexes from 53 to 85 kDa and obtained isotopically resolved fragment and ligand signals. The paper documents Ardara participation in both the instrumentation and the scientific validation of a new structural-biology workflow, making it stronger evidence than a product mention alone.
Published by Yan et al.; Randall E. Pedder was an Ardara-affiliated coauthor in Analytical Chemistry (2017).
University of California, Berkeley and Ardara Technologies
Accurate Sizing of Nanoparticles Using a High-Throughput Charge Detection Mass Spectrometer without Energy Selection
Solution used
+/-4 kV electrospray supply, Broad-Head RF supplies, thin gate valve, three rectilinear quadrupole guides, and asymptotic electrodes
This high-throughput charge-detection instrument incorporated an unusually broad set of Ardara subsystems spanning ionization, RF transport, gating, and electrostatic optics. Nanoparticle size distributions agreed with transmission electron microscopy while measurements were completed up to roughly 80 times faster, including samples diluted about 50-fold; the instrument also resolved particle dimers. The coauthored paper is a clear public example of Ardara contributing to an integrated platform rather than a single replaceable component.
Published by Harper et al.; Randall E. Pedder was an Ardara-affiliated coauthor in ACS Nano (2023).
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ardara Technologies
Low-Cost, Compact Quadrupole Mass Filters with Unity Mass Resolution via Ceramic Resin Vat Photopolymerization
Solution used
Slim-Line ionizer, continuous-dynode electron multiplier, and preamplifier
The MIT-Ardara collaboration evaluated additively manufactured ceramic quadrupole mass filters using an Ardara Slim-Line source and Ardara detection electronics. The printed filter resolved a 131 Da peak with 0.50 Da full width at half maximum, corresponding to about 260 resolving power, while covering a 250 Da mass range and reaching 0.13 mA/Torr sensitivity. The paper demonstrates Ardara equipment enabling reproducible validation of a lower-cost manufacturing route for compact mass analyzers.
Published by Eckhoff et al.; Luke J. Metzler and Randall E. Pedder were Ardara-affiliated coauthors in Advanced Science (2024).
Development of a Glow-Discharge Ion-Trap Instrument for Measuring Effective Radiative-Association Rate Coefficients
Solution used
Custom glow-discharge ion source, RF-only rectilinear guide with asymptotic rods, deflectors, quadrupole mass filter, detectors, and linear ion trap
The instrument combined a custom Ardara-designed glow-discharge source with ion transport, mass selection, detection, and trapping subsystems for low-temperature ion chemistry. Its first pressure-dependent study examined Ag+ reacting with O2 and placed a lower limit of 1 x 10^-15 cubic centimeters per molecule per second on the effective radiative-association rate coefficient. This coauthored work documents Ardara's role in building a complete experimental chain for a specialized reaction-kinetics problem.
Published by Kisuryna et al.; Randall E. Pedder was an Ardara-affiliated coauthor in The Journal of Physical Chemistry A (2026).