Mass spectrometry probes and systems for ionizing a sample transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016314956-A1
Application number	US-201415104405-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 28, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

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 mass spectrometry probe comprising a substrate in which a portion of the substrate is coated with a material, a portion of which protrudes from the substrate.

2 . The probe according to claim 1 , further comprising a voltage source coupled to the substrate.

3 . The probe according to claim 2 , wherein the voltage source is configured to generate a voltage of 3 volts or less.

4 . The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the material is an electrically conductive material.

5 . The probe according to claim 4 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises one or more electrically conductive nanotubes.

6 . The probe according to claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive nanotubes are carbon nanotubes.

7 . The probe according to claim 6 , wherein the carbon nanotubes coat an external surface of the substrate.

8 . A system comprising:
a mass spectrometry probe comprising a substrate in which a portion of the substrate is coated with a material, a portion of which protrudes from the substrate; a voltage source coupled to the substrate; and a mass analyzer.

9 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the voltage source is configured to generate a voltage of 3 volts or less.

10 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the material is an electrically conductive material.

11 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises one or more electrically conductive nanotubes.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the electrically conductive nanotubes are carbon nanotubes.

13 . The system according to claim 12 , wherein the carbon nanotubes coat an external surface of the substrate.

14 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate tapers to a tip.

15 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the probe is discrete from a flow of solvent.

16 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the probe operates without pneumatic assistance.

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

18 . A system comprising:
a mass spectrometry probe comprising carbon nanotubes; a voltage source coupled to the probe; and a mass analyzer.

19 . The system according to claim 18 , wherein the probe further comprises a substrate and the carbon nanotubes are coupled to the substrate.

20 . The system according to claim 19 , wherein the substrate is a porous substrate.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation
• Indian Inst Of Tech Madras

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01J49/0431

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

• H01J49/16 Primary

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

• H05K1/18

  structurally associated with non-printed electric components (H05K1/16 takes precedence) · 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

• H01J49/165 Primary

  Electrospray ionisation · CPC title