Single Droplet Electrospray Ionization

描述(由申请人提供)： 我们建议开发新一代质谱仪，包括 极大地提高灵敏度，接近单分子水平；极大地 增强了复杂混合物和多亚基的分析能力 蛋白质复合体。本文的研究重点是开发一种新的 利用单电荷液滴作为离子的飞行时间质谱仪 光源与空气动力学透镜相结合，将离子聚焦到 质谱仪飞行时间区域的中心轴。单人 液滴将由压电式分配器产生并传输 通过空气动力学透镜，在那里它们将被解溶以产生分析物 离子。气动透镜系统将取代标准的喷嘴撇油器，并 ESI-TOF中常用的碰撞冷却系统。事实是， 离子将沿着单一确定的轨迹传播，而不是沿着 在传统的电喷雾中，大量的轨迹将允许 离子进入质谱仪的收集效率将大大提高 增加了。离开空气动力学透镜的离子将是静电的 按常规矩阵分析加速质量和飞行时间质量 辅助激光解吸电离(MALDI)质谱仪。计算 理论上可以通过这种方式实现的检测效率的提高 方法表明，可以实现高达10/12倍的增长； 尽管实际考虑可能会限制可实现的增长，但它看起来 显然，敏感度的大幅提升是可以预期的。 此外，所提出的仪器大大简化了光谱仪。 设计应该能够建造一个简单、健壮和 性价比高的质谱仪。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a new generation of mass spectrometric instruments with vastly increased sensitivity, approaching the single molecule level; greatly enhanced capability for the analysis of complex mixtures and multisubunit protein complexes. The research presented here focuses on development of a new time-of-flight mass spectrometer which utilizes single charged droplets as ion sources in combination with an aerodynamic lens to focus the ions onto the center axis of the time of flight region of the mass spectrometer. Single droplets will be generated by a piezoelectric dispenser and transmitted through an aerodynamic lens where they will be desolvated to produce analyte ions. The aerodynamic lens system will replace the standard nozzle-skimmer and collisional cooling systems commonly employed in ESI-TOF. The fact that the ions will travel along a single defined trajectory, rather than along a multitude of trajectories as in conventional electrospray, will permit the collection efficiency of the ions into the mass spectrometer to be greatly increased. Ions exiting the aerodynamic lens will be electrostatically accelerated and time-of-flight mass analyzed as in conventional matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Calculations of the increase in detection efficiency that in theory is attainable with this approach suggest that as much as a 10exp12 fold increase could be realized; although practical considerations may limit the achievable increase, it seams clear that a very substantial sensitivity gain is to be expected. Additionally, the proposed instrument greatly simplifies the spectrometer design which should make possible the construction of a simple, robust, and cost effective mass spectrometer.