Mass spectrometry probes and systems for ionizing a sample transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10395913-B2
Application number	US-201415104405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 30, 2013
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

The invention generally relates to mass spectrometry probes and systems for ionizing a sample. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a mass spectrometry probe including a substrate in which a portion of the substrate is coated with a material, a portion of which protrudes from the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a mass spectrometry probe comprising a paper substrate in which a portion of the paper substrate is coated with an electrically conductive material that is not a sample or a solvent, in a manner that a plurality of nanoscale features protrude from the paper substrate, the plurality of nanoscale features configured to act as a plurality of electrodes and upon application of a voltage of 3 volts or less, providing a field strength high enough to cause field emission of microscale solution droplets at the plurality of nanoscale features at a voltage that does not cause fragmentation of the analyte; and
a voltage source coupled to the substrate, wherein the voltage source is configured to generate a voltage of 3 volts or less.

2. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises one or more electrically conductive nanotubes.

3. The probe according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically conductive nanotubes are carbon nanotubes.

4. The probe according to claim 3 , wherein the carbon nanotubes coat an external surface of the paper substrate.

5. A system comprising:
a mass spectrometry probe comprising a paper substrate in which a portion of the paper substrate is coated with an electrically conductive material that is not a sample or a solvent, in a manner that a plurality of nanoscale features protrude from the paper substrate, the plurality of nanoscale features configured to act as a plurality of electrodes and upon application of a voltage of 3 volts or less, providing a field strength high enough to cause field emission of microscale solution droplets at the plurality of nanoscale features at a voltage that does not cause fragmentation of the analyte; and;
a voltage source coupled to the paper substrate, wherein the voltage source is configured to generate a voltage of 3 volts or less; and
a mass analyzer.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises one or more electrically conductive nanotubes.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the electrically conductive nanotubes are carbon nanotubes.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the carbon nanotubes coat an external surface of the paper substrate.

9. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the paper substrate tapers to a tip.

10. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the probe is discrete from a flow of solvent.

11. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the probe operates without pneumatic assistance.

12. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the mass analyzer is a miniature mass spectrometer.

13. A system comprising:
a mass spectrometry probe comprising a paper substrate and a plurality of carbon nanotubes, the mass spectrometry probe configured such that a portion of each of the plurality of carbon nanotubes protrudes from the paper substrate forming a plurality of nanoscale features that extend from the paper substrate, the plurality of nanoscale features configured to act as a plurality of electrodes and upon application of a voltage of 3 volts or less, providing a field strength high enough to cause field emission of microscale solution droplets at a voltage that does not cause fragmentation of the analyte;
a voltage source coupled to the probe, wherein the voltage source is configured to generate a voltage of 3 volts or less; and
a mass analyzer.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the paper substrate is filter paper.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation
• Indian Institute Of Tech Madras

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Sarkar Depanjan
• Pradeep Thalappil
• Narayanan Rahul

Classifications

• H01J49/16 Primary

  using surface ionisation, e.g. field-, thermionic- or photo-emission · CPC title

• H01J49/0431

  for liquid samples (interfaces to liquid chromatographs G01N30/7233) · CPC title

• H01J49/0409

  Sample holders or containers (containers for retaining a material to be analyzed, B01L3/50, for DNA, C12Q1/6834, for biological materials, G01N33/543) · CPC title

• H01J49/0013

  Miniaturised spectrometers, e.g. having smaller than usual scale, integrated conventional components · CPC title

• H01J49/165 Primary

  Electrospray ionisation · CPC title