US 2011/0253903 A1 · DEVICE FOR DESORPTION IONIZATION

Abstract

The current invention involves a desorption corona beam ionization source/device for analyzing samples under atmospheric pressure without sample pretreatment. It includes a gas source, a gas flow tube, a gas flow heater, a metal tube, a DC power supply and a sample support/holder for placing the samples. A visible corona beam is formed at a sharply pointed tip at the exit of the metal tube when a stream of inert gas flows through the metal tube that is applied with a high DC voltage. The gas is heated for desorbing the analyte from solid samples and the desorbed species are ionized by the energized particles embedded in the corona beam. The ions formed are then transferred through an adjacent inlet into a mass spectrometer or other devices capable of analyzing ions. Visibility of the corona beam in the current invention greatly facilitates pinpointing a sampling area on the analyte and also makes profiling of sample surfaces possible.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A device for desorption and ionization, comprising:

a gas source for providing gas having pressure greater than one unit of atmospheric pressure;
a gas flow tube for transferring the gas from the gas source;
a gas flow heater for heating up the gas from the gas source;
a metal tube connected to the gas flow tube through the gas flow heater for transferring the heated gas to its exit of the metal tube, the metal tube having a sharply pointed tip at the exit;
a direct current (DC) voltage supply for supplying a high voltage to the metal tube;
and
a sample holder for holding a sample in front of the tip of the metal tube and being adjacent to an inlet of a mass spectrometer,
wherein when the high voltage from the DC voltage supply is applied to the metal tube, a corona beam is formed from the heated gas at the tip of the metal tube and extends towards the surface of the sample, whereby at least portions of the sample are desorbed and then ionized by reactions with energized particles from the corona beam.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device for desorption ionization

Life of this patent

Device for desorption ionization

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16