Ion generation using modified wetted porous materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088461-B2
Application number	US-201715710072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Jun 3, 2011
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The invention generally relates to ion generation using modified wetted porous materials. In certain aspects, the invention generally relates to systems and methods for ion generation using a wetted porous substrate that substantially prevents diffusion of sample into the substrate. In other aspects, the invention generally relate to ion generation using a wetted porous material and a drying agent. In other aspects, the invention generally relates to ion generation using a modified wetted porous substrate in which at least a portion of the porous substrate includes a material that modifies an interaction between a sample and the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sample analysis system comprising:
a cartridge comprising a porous substrate that tapers to a tip and an electrode connected to the porous substrate, wherein the cartridge further comprises a bottom portion and a detachable cover, and the cartridge is configured such that the bottom portion is configured to hold the porous substrate and the cartridge is configured such that voltage is not supplied to the porous substrate in the cartridge until the detachable cover is connected to the bottom portion; and
a mass spectrometer.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge is configured such that the tip of the porous substrate does not extend beyond an end of the cartridge.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge further comprises a solvent port.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the solvent port is configured for continuous supply of solvent to the porous substrate.

5. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the solvent port is configured for supply of only a discrete amount of solvent to the porous substrate such that porous substrate is discrete from a flow of solvent.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is configured such that the cartridge is positioned with respect to an inlet of the mass spectrometer so that the tip of the porous substrate is aligned with the inlet of the mass spectrometer.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate is paper.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the paper is filter paper.

9. A method for analyzing a sample, the method comprising:
applying a sample to a porous substrate that tapers to a tip;
loading the porous substrate into a cartridge comprising an electrode such that the electrode is connected to the porous substrate, wherein the cartridge further comprises a bottom portion and a detachable cover, and the cartridge is configured such that the bottom portion is configured to hold the porous substrate and the cartridge is configured such that voltage is not supplied to the porous substrate in the cartridge until the detachable cover is connected to the bottom portion;
applying voltage to the porous substrate after the detachable cover is connected to the bottom portion to generate sample ions; and
analyzing the sample ions.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the cartridge is configured such that the tip of the porous substrate does not extend beyond an end of the cartridge.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the cartridge further comprises a solvent port.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises supplying solvent via the solvent port to the porous substrate in the cartridge prior to applying the voltage to the porous substrate.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises supplying solvent to the porous substrate prior to the porous substrate being loading into the cartridge.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein analyzing comprising introducing the sample ions into a mass spectrometer and analyzing the sample ions in the mass spectrometer.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the porous substrate is paper.

16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the paper is filter paper.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Ouyang Zheng

Classifications

• H01J49/0031

  Step by step routines describing the use of the apparatus (H01J49/0081 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N30/91

  Application of the sample · CPC title

• G01N30/95 Primary

  Detectors specially adapted therefor; Signal analysis · CPC title

• G01N33/49

  Blood {(chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80)} · CPC title

• H01J49/168 Primary

  field ionisation, e.g. corona discharge (atmospheric pressure corona discharge per se H01T19/00) · CPC title