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US 9,040,906 B2Granted
Droplet manipulation using gas-phase standing-wave ultrasound fields in MS sources
AssigneeMicromass UK Limited
InventorsMichael Raymond Morris, Steven Derek Pringle, Keith Richardson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ion source for a mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising an ionization device which emits a stream of droplets and one or more ultrasonic transmitters which create one or more acoustic standing waves. The acoustic standing waves may be used to further nebulize the stream of droplets and induce internal mixing of the droplets.
Claims21
An ion source for a mass spectrometer comprising:
- an Atmospheric Pressure Ionisation (“API”) ionisation device comprising an Electrospray ion source, arranged and adapted to emit a stream of charged droplets;
- and
- one or more ultrasonic transmitters or sonotrodes arranged and adapted to create one or more acoustic standing waves downstream of said ionisation device;
- wherein said one or more acoustic standing waves are arranged and adapted:
- to induce internal mixing of said stream of droplets;
- to further nebulise said stream of droplets;
- and
- to result in a reduction of an average size of droplets in said stream of droplets.
5 more elements
A mass spectrometer comprising an ion source including:
- an Atmospheric Pressure Ionisation (“API”) ionisation device comprising an Electrospray ion source, arranged and adapted to emit a stream of charged droplets;
- and
- one or more ultrasonic transmitters or sonotrodes arranged and adapted to create one or more acoustic standing waves downstream of said ionisation device;
- wherein said one or more acoustic standing waves are arranged and adapted:
- to induce internal mixing of said stream of droplets;
- to further nebulise said stream of droplets;
- and
- to result in a reduction of an average size of droplets in said stream of droplets.
5 more elements
A method of ionising a sample comprising:
- emitting a stream of charged droplets from an Atmospheric Pressure Ionisation (“API”) device comprising an Electrospray ion source;
- and
- causing said stream of droplets to interact with one or more acoustic standing waves;
- whereby said one or more acoustic standing waves are arranged and adapted:
- to induce internal mixing of said stream of droplets;
- to further nebulise said stream of droplets;
- and
- to result in a reduction of the average size of droplets in said stream of droplets.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.