SPRAYING SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

• US 20130266735A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: William Pratt Iii Mounfield
• Inventors: Garrett, Timothy James, Mounfield, William Pratt III
• Granted Patent: US 9,561,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/424
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0416 with arrangements for mixing one gas and one liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0441 with one inner conduit of liquid surrounded by an external conduit of gas upstream the mixing chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/12 designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/1209 the controlling means for each liquid or other fluent material being manual and interdependent
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0418 for laser desorption, e.g. matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation [MALDI] plates or surface enhanced laser desorption/ionisation [SELDI] plates

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for spraying systems, methods of disposing a layer of matrix onto a sample, and the like.

Claims

1. A spraying system, comprising:

a liquid system for providing a liquid to a nebulizer;

a gas system for providing a gas to the nebulizer, wherein the nebulizer is configured to produce a nebulized liquid;

a control system for controlling the introduction of the liquid, the gas, or the liquid and gas, to the nebulizer; and

a sample system, wherein the sample system includes an area for a sample to be disposed,

wherein the nebulizer directs the liquid onto the area where the sample is to be disposed via the nozzle.

2. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the nebulizer and the area where the sample is to be disposed are disposed in a chamber.

3. The spraying system of claim 2, wherein the chamber is in communication with a vacuum system.

4. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the liquid system includes at least one liquid delivery system selected from the group consisting of:

a gravity liquid delivery system, a siphon liquid delivery system, and a pressurized liquid delivery system.

5. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the liquid system is configured to provide one or more types of liquids to the nebulizer.

6. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the liquid system is configured to provide one or more types of mixtures of liquids to the nebulizer.

7. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the gas system is configured to provide one or more types of gases to the nebulizer.

8. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the gas system is configured to provide one or more types of mixtures of gases to the nebulizer.

9. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the nebulizer mixes the gas and liquid within the nebulizer.

10. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the control system is selected from a manual system, an automated system, or a combination thereof.

11. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the nebulizer is positioned above a horizontal, vertical, or inverted, position relative to the area where the sample is to be disposed.

12. The spraying system of claim 2, wherein the chamber is heated and the nebulizer is heated.

13. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the nebulizer is about 0.01 to 60 inches from the area where the sample is to be disposed.

14. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the liquid system is adapted to heat the liquid.

15. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the gas system is adapted to heat the gas.

16. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein sample system is adapted to move up and down along the y-axis and from side to side along the x-axis and the z-axis.

17. The spraying system of claim 1, wherein the sample system includes an automated platform to position samples in sequence in the area where the sample is to be disposed.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising a spraying system of claim 1.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein disposing includes nebulizing a liquid that includes the matrix and wherein the nebulized liquid is directed towards the at least one sample.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the liquid includes a solvent, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of:

chloroform, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, water, t-butyl-methyl ether, an acid except hydrochloric acid, a base, and a combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the matrix is selected from the group consisting of:

2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, sinipinic acid, trihydroxyacetophenone, dihydroxyacetophenone, and a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein nebulization includes a gas, wherein the gas is selected from the group consisting of:

a noble gas, oxygen, helium, water vapor, and a combination thereof.

18. A method of disposing a layer of a matrix on a sample, comprising:

providing at least one sample;

disposing a layer of a matrix uniformly onto a portion at least one sample in about 2 to 30 seconds, wherein the layer of matrix is about 100 nm to 500 μ

m thick.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a sample is about 10 to 20 μ

m thick.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the portion of a sample includes the entire sample.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein disposing is performed in less than 20 seconds.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising repeating the disposing step one or more times to produce the layer of matrix.