Secondary ultrasonic nebulisation
AssigneeMicromass UK Limited
InventorsStevan Bajic, David S Douce, Gordon A Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A secondary ultrasonic nebulization device is disclosed comprising: a liquid sample delivery capillary; a sample receiving surface arranged for receiving a liquid sample from the capillary; and an ultrasonic transducer configured for oscillating the surface so as to nebulize the liquid sample received thereon, wherein the device is configured such that the oscillations of the surface by the ultrasonic transducer cause charged droplets and/or gas phase ions to be generated from the sample.
Claims19
A secondary ultrasonic nebulisation device comprising:
- a liquid chromatography separation device for separating a liquid sample;
- a liquid sample delivery capillary forming part of, or arranged to receive, the liquid sample from the separation device;
- a sample receiving surface arranged for receiving the liquid sample from the capillary;
- an ultrasonic transducer configured for oscillating the surface so as to nebulise the liquid sample received thereon, wherein the device is configured such that the oscillations of the surface by the ultrasonic transducer cause charged droplets and/or gas phase ions to be generated from the sample;
- and
- a pump system for pumping the liquid sample through the capillary;
- wherein the pump system is configured such that the rate at which the liquid sample is delivered to the sample receiving surface is equal to the average rate at which the liquid sample is ejected from the sample surface by nebulisation.
A method of nebulising a liquid sample using a secondary ultrasonic nebulisation device comprising:
- delivering a liquid sample from a liquid chromatography separation device to a sample receiving surface;
- and
- ultrasonically oscillating the surface so as to nebulise the liquid sample, wherein said ultrasonically oscillating causes charged droplets and/or gas phase ions to be generated from the sample;
- wherein the liquid sample is delivered to the sample receiving surface such that the rate at which the liquid sample is delivered to the sample receiving surface is equal to the average rate at which the liquid sample is ejected from the sample surface by nebulisation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.