Ion generation using modified wetted porous materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797872-B2
Application number	US-201615359031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Jun 3, 2011
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

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 system for analyzing a sample material comprising:
at least one porous substrate connected to a high voltage source, wherein the porous substrate comprises a body portion that comprises a drying agent and a tip portion that does not comprise the drying agent; and
a mass analyzer.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate is discrete from a flow of solvent.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the mass analyzer is for a mass spectrometer or a handheld mass spectrometer.

4. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the porous material is paper or PVDF membrane.

5. The probe according to claim 4 , wherein the paper is filter paper.

6. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the drying agent is an anhydrous salt.

7. The probe according to claim 1 , further comprising an internal standard.

8. A method for analyzing a sample comprising:
contacting a sample to a porous substrate, wherein the porous substrate comprises a body portion that comprises a drying agent and a tip portion that does not comprise the drying agent;
applying a high voltage to the porous material to generate ions of an analyte in the sample that are expelled from the porous material; and
analyzing the expelled ions.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the porous substrate is kept separate from a flow of solvent.

10. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising applying a solvent to the porous material.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent assists in transport of the sample through the porous material.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent comprises an internal standard.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent minimizes salt and matrix effects.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent is capable of mixing with the sample.

15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein prior to applying the high voltage, the method further comprises drying the substrate.

16. The method according to claim 8 , wherein analyzing comprises providing a mass analyzer to generate a mass spectrum of analytes in the sample.

17. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the sample is a biological fluid.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the biological fluid is blood.

19. A method for analyzing blood, the method comprising:
contacting a blood sample to a porous substrate, wherein the porous substrate comprises a body portion that comprises a drying agent and a tip portion that does not comprise the drying agent;
drying the blood sample on the substrate;
applying a solvent to the substrate;
applying a high voltage to the substrate to generate ions of the components that are expelled from the porous substrate; and
analyzing the expelled ions.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein applying the solvent and the high voltage occur simultaneously.

21. The method according to claim 19 , wherein applying the solvent and the high voltage occur sequentially.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Ouyang Zheng
• Espy Ryan

Classifications

• H01J49/168 Primary

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

• H01J49/0031

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

• G01N30/91

  Application of the sample · CPC title

• G01N30/95 Primary

  Detectors specially adapted therefor; Signal analysis · CPC title