Apparatus and method for liquid sample introduction
AssigneeThermo Electron Manufacturing Limited
InventorsRuan Hattingh, Neil Bird, Paul Neal, Olivier Moteau, Andrew Clark
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for introducing droplets of liquid sample into an analysis device using a gas stream, the droplets being produced by the application of acoustic energy to a quantity of liquid sample. Acoustic energy may be applied to a quantity of liquid sample located on a solid surface of a sample support so as to eject a droplet of sample from the quantity of sample; the droplet of sample may be entrained in a gas stream; and the droplet of sample may be transported into the analysis device using the gas stream.
Claims16
A sample introduction apparatus for an analysis device comprising:
- a solid surface of a sample support suitable for locating a quantity of liquid sample;
- an acoustic transducer arranged so that, in use, acoustic energy is emitted towards the solid surface;
- a gas supply arranged to supply a stream of gas;
- and
- a gas conduit arranged between the gas supply and the sample support and between the sample support and an inlet of the analysis device,
- wherein the solid surface of the sample support comprises a sample support site suitable for locating a quantity of liquid sample and the gas conduit is arranged to supply the stream of gas in the form of a gas curtain at least partially surrounding a volume adjacent the sample support site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.