Development of a miniature mass spectrometer with in-source desolvation

•An economic in-source desolvation method was developed for miniature mass spectrometers.•2–5 fold signal-noise-ratio improvements could be achieved.•Limit of detection of the miniature mass spectrometer could also be improved.

Miniature mass spectrometers could meet the on-site chemical analysis requirements in applications such as space exploration, homeland security, etc. However, miniaturization of a mass spectrometer would sacrifice its performance due to simplified instrumentation and limitations on power and size. In this study, in-source desolvation capability was developed for a miniature mass spectrometer. Similar to the conventional in-source fragmentation technique, the in-source desolvation is more gentle, which is designed to fragment clusters and droplets other than ions. In-source desolvation could effectively help the desolvation of droplets generated by electrospray ionization, and both signal intensity and signal-to-noise ratio of a mass peak could be increased. As a result, sensitivity improvement could be achieved for the miniature mass spectrometer. Compared to the desolvation techniques used on a lab-scale instrument (heated interface, desolvation gas, for instance), the in-source desolvation method is more suitable and economic for a miniature mass spectrometer.

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