Development of a high-pressure aerodynamic lens for focusing large particles (4-10 μm) into the aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer

John F. Cahill, Thomas K. Darlington, Xiaoliang Wang, Joe Mayer, Matt T. Spencer, John C. Holecek, Beth E. Reed, Kimberly A. Prather

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

A new aerodynamic lens system for an online aerosol time-offlight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) has been designed and constructed to transmit and allow the analysis of individual particles in the 4-10-μm-size range. Modeling was used to help design the lens within the bounds of ATOFMS instrumental constraints. The aerodynamic lens operates at a high inlet pressure, 3066 Pa (23 Torr), with a unique tapered relaxation region to improve large particle transmission. Every stage of the lens was tested empirically using a combination of particle deposition and light scattering experiments. The critical orifice was found to significantly impact large particle transmission, with orifices <200 μm in diameter completely suppressing large particle transmission. The addition of a virtual impactor allowed for the use of large orifices without any loss of functionality in the ATOFMS. The detection efficiency of the ATOFMS was >10% for particles from 4-10 μm with a peak efficiency of 74 ± 9% for 6-μm particles. With the extended size range provided by this inlet, the ATOFMS can now be extended to investigate single cell metabolomics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)948-956
Number of pages9
JournalAerosol Science and Technology
Volume48
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Institutes of HealthHHSN26120100098C

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Development of a high-pressure aerodynamic lens for focusing large particles (4-10 μm) into the aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this