IMPROVED DETECTION OF LARGE BIOMOLECULES IN TOF-MS

高质量生物聚合物研究中最值得期待的进展之一 飞行时间质谱学提高了探测器的灵敏度和 效率。我们提出的创新将大大改善 微通道板作为高质量生物分子离子的探测器。 这将通过实施三个独立的 进展：(1)降低MCP表面功函数，增加离子交换 电子和离子-离子转换效率提高了信噪比 比(2)增强入射初级的掠入射几何 离子通过使用一种新的正方形通道几何结构，还导致 离子-电子和离子-离子产额增加：和(3)显著改善 MCP探测器动态范围，这最近一直是一个限制因素 基质辅助激光解吸中较重生物分子的分析 电离(MALDI)。这些改进中的任何一项都将被视为 值得在MCP性能上进行渐进式增强。我们建议实施 这三个元素同时位于同一个MCP检测器中；结果将是 高质量离子探测器性能的根本偏离。如果这个 一旦完成，MCP探测器将很快在高质量中发挥主导作用 在50000到100万吨质量范围内的离子探测--就像他们 现在已经被公认为低质量离子的领先探测器。

One of the most desired improvements in the study of high mass biopolymers in time-of-flight mass spectrometry is increased detector sensitivity and efficiency. The innovations we propose will substantially improve microchannel plates (MCPs) as detectors of high mass biomolecular ions. This will be accomplished through implementation of three separate developments: (1) reducing the MCP surface work function, to increase ion- electron and ion-ion conversion yields leading to improved signal-to-noise ratios (2) enhancing the grazing incidence geometry for incident primary ions through use of a novel square channel geometry, also resulting in increased ion-electron and ion-ion yields: and (3) substantially improving MCP detector dynamic range, which has recently been a limiting factor in analyzing heavier biomolecules in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). Any one of these improvements would be considered a worthy incremental enhancement in MCP performance. We propose to implement all three simultaneously in the same MCP detector; the result would be a radical departure in the performance of high mass ion detectors. If this is done, MCP detectors will quickly assume the leading role in high mass ion detection in the 50,000 to 1 MegaDalton mass range--just as they are now well established as the leading detectors for low mass ions.