Apparatus and method for generating chemical signatures using differential desorption

• US 9,824,875 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruker Scientific LLC (Bruker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IonSense, Inc. (Bruker Corporation)
• Inventors: Musselman, Brian D
• Primary Examiner(s): MASKELL, MICHAEL P
• Application Number:
  US15/418,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20170148622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 250281, 250282, 250288
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/4022 by thermal techniques; Phase changes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/028 Sampling from a surface, swabbing, vaporising
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/009 Extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/062 extracting sample from raw material
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0031 Step by step routines describing the use of the apparatus H01J49/0081 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/045 with means for using a nebulising gas, i.e. pneumatically assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/16 using surface ionisation, e.g. field-, thermionic- or photo-emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/165 Electrospray ionisation

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method and device to generate a chemical signature for a mixture of analytes. The present invention involves using a SPME surface to one or both absorb and adsorb the mixture of analytes. In an embodiment of the invention, the surface is then exposed to different temperature ionizing species chosen with appropriate spatial resolution to desorb a chemical signature for the mixture of analytes.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a desorption ionization source adapted to generate a first stream of energetic particles at a first temperature and a second stream of energetic particles at a second temperature, where the desorption ionization source is adapted to direct the first stream of energetic particles towards a target area on the sorbent coated fiber, where the sorbent coated fiber has a length and a diameter, where the sorbent coated fiber has been in contact with a sample, where the first stream of energetic particles forms a plurality of first sample ions, where the desorption ionization source is adapted to direct the second stream of energetic particles towards the target area on the sorbent coated fiber, where the second stream of energetic particles forms a plurality of second sample ions; and

an analyzer, adapted to analyze one or both one or more of the plurality of first sample ions and one or more of the plurality of second sample ions.

2. The device of claim 1, where the length of the sorbent coated fiber is between:

a lower limit of approximately 4 mm; and

an upper limit of approximately 150 mm.

3. The device of claim 1, where the diameter of the sorbent coated fiber is between:

a lower limit of approximately 0.05 mm; and

an upper limit of approximately 2 mm.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a holder adapted to hold the sorbent coated fiber while one or both the first stream of energetic particles and the second stream of energetic particles impacts the sorbent coated fiber.

5. The device of claim 1, where the desorption ionization source is an electrospray ionization source.

6. The device of claim 1, where the desorption ionization source is a DART ionization source.

7. The device of claim 1, where the desorption ionization source utilizes a stream of carrier gas molecules to direct one or both the first energetic particles and the second energetic particles at the target area.

8. The device of claim 7, where the carrier gas is selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon.

9. The device of claim 7, where the temperature of the stream of carrier gas molecules is between:

a lower limit of approximately 270°

K; and

an upper limit of approximately 600°

K.

10. The device of claim 1, where the step of analyzing comprises analyzing molecule ions with a mass spectrometer in one or both positive and negative ionization modes.

11. A device comprising:

a desorption ionization source adapted to generate a plurality of first sample ions and a plurality of second sample ions, where the plurality of first sample ions are formed from a first stream of energetic particles with a first temperature impacted a sorbent coated fiber and the plurality of second sample ions are formed from a second stream of energetic particles with a second temperature impacted the sorbent coated fiber; and

an analyzer, adapted to analyze one or more of the plurality of first sample ions and the plurality of second sample ions.

12. The device of claim 11, where the sorbent coated fiber has a length between:

a lower limit of approximately 4 mm; and

an upper limit of approximately 150 mm.

13. The device of claim 11, where the sorbent coated fiber has a diameter between:

a lower limit of approximately 0.05 mm; and

an upper limit of approximately 2 mm.

14. The device of claim 11, further comprising a holder adapted to hold the sorbent coated fiber while one or both the first stream of energetic particles and the second stream of energetic particles impacts the sorbent coated fiber.

15. The device of claim 11, where the desorption ionization source is selected from the group consisting of DART, DESI, MALDI, UV laser, IR laser, APCI, directed electrospray, electrospray, dielectric barrier discharge, and flowing after-glow plasma.

16. The device of claim 11, where the desorption ionization source utilizes a stream of carrier gas molecules to direct one or both the first energetic particles and the second energetic particles at the sorbent coated fiber.

17. The device of claim 16, where the carrier gas is selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon.

18. The device of claim 16, where the temperature of the stream of carrier gas molecules is between:

a lower limit of approximately 270°

K; and

an upper limit of approximately 600°

K.

19. A device comprising:

a first desorption ionization source adapted to generate a plurality of first sample ions formed from a first stream of energetic particles with a first temperature impacting a sorbent coated fiber;

a second desorption ionization source adapted to generate a plurality of second sample ions formed from a second stream of energetic particles with a second temperature impacting the sorbent coated fiber; and

an analyzer, adapted to analyze one or more of the plurality of first sample ions and the plurality of second sample ions.

20. The device of claim 19, where one or both the first desorption ionization source and the second desorption ionization source are selected from the group consisting of DART, DESI, MALDI, UV laser, IR laser, APCI, directed electrospray, electrospray, dielectric barrier discharge, and flowing after-glow plasma.