Interface for coupling liquid chromatography to solid or gas phase detectors

An improved interface for receiving liquid effluent including sample solute and solvent from a liquid chromatograhic device and outputting sample particles of interest to a detector for analysis of a sample, the interface comprising;

• a desolvation chamber;
• spraying means for discharging the liquid effluent into the desolvation chamber;
• heating means for heating the sprayed effluent within the desolvation chamber to vaporize substantially all solvent within the desolvation chamber while maintaining the sample particles of interest in the desolvation chamber;
• gas supply means for inputting a carrier gas to the desolvation chamber;
• solvent removal means for receiving the transmitted aerosol and removing most of the vaporized solvent while outputting the carrier gas and substantially all of the sample particles of interest to the detector for analysis the solvent removal means including a gas diffusion cell means for diffusing solvent from the aerosol while outputting carrier gas and sample particles of interest to the detector, the gas diffusion cell means having a cell housing, a gas diffusion membrane within the cell housing and separating the cell housing in a primary flow chamber for receiving the aerosol and an adjoining secondary flow chamber and supplemental carrier gas supply means for passing carrier gas through the secondary flow chamber while aerosol is passed through the primary flow chamber such that solvent vapor is diffused through the membrane from the primary flow chamber to the secondary flow chamber and is removed by the supplemental carrier gas;
• and
• a waste drain for continuously outputting solvent from the solvent removal means while the aerosol is transferred through the flow path means.

An improved method for producing particles of interest for analysis of a sample by a detector from liquid effluent including sample solute and solvent discharged from a liquid chromatographic device, the method comprising;

• spraying the liquid effluent into a desolvation chamber;
• controllably heating the temperature of the liquid effluent in the desolvation chamber such that substantially all solvent within the desolvation chamber is vaporized while sample particles of interest remain in the desolvation chamber;
• inputting a selected carrier gas to the desolvation chamber;
• transferring an aerosol including the carrier gas, the vaporized solvent, and the particles of interest from the desolvation chamber;
• providing a gas diffusion membrane separating the aerosol from an adjoining secondary flow chamber;
• and
• diffusing solvent from the aerosol to the secondary flow chamber for continuously removing solvent from the transferred aerosol while outputting the carrier gas and sample particles of interest for analysis by the detector.