Systems and methods for separating ions at about or above atmospheric pressure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11037777-B2
Application number	US-202016907510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2020
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for separating ions at about or above atmospheric pressure. In certain embodiments, the invention provides systems that include an ionization source that generates ions and an ion trap. The ion trap is maintained at about or above atmospheric pressure and includes a plurality of electrodes and at least one inlet configured to receive a gas flow and at least one outlet. The system is configured such that a combination of a gas flow and one or more electric fields produced by the electrodes separates the ions based on mass-to-charge ratio and sends the separated ions through the at least one outlet of the ion trap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for mass separation of ions, the system comprising:
an ionization source that generates ions; and
an ion trap that comprises a hollow member comprising a plurality of electrodes along a plurality of inner walls of the hollow member wherein the hollow member comprises and at least one inlet configured to receive a gas flow and at least one outlet;
an ion focusing apparatus operably associated with the at least one outlet
wherein the system is at about or above atmospheric pressure and is configured such that a combination of a gas flow and one or more frequency components of the electric field produced by the electrodes mass separates the ions based on mass-to-charge ratio and sends the mass separated ions through the at least one outlet of the ion trap to the ion focusing apparatus that focuses the ions.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow member is a tube.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow member is a square.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are printed into the plurality of inner walls of the hollow member.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are along the a plurality of inner walls of the hollow member in a quadrupole arrangement.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are along the a plurality of inner walls of the hollow member in a triple quadrupole arrangement.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising an ion detector configured to receive the separated ions.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the ion detector is a mass spectrometer that does not have a vacuum system.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the mass spectrometer is a miniature mass spectrometer.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein miniature mass spectrometer does not include a vacuum system.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Snyder Dalton
• Basu Amar S
• Peng Wen-Ping

Classifications

• G01N27/623 Primary

  combined with mass spectrometry · CPC title

• H01J49/165

  Electrospray ionisation · CPC title

• H01J49/4295

  Storage methods · CPC title

• H01J49/4205

  Device types · CPC title

• H01J49/429

  Scanning an electric parameter, e.g. voltage amplitude or frequency · CPC title