TY - JOUR A1 - Chan, George C.-Y. A1 - Engelhard, Carsten A1 - Wiley, Joshua S. A1 - Shoulds, Ayanna U. A1 - Cooks, R. Graham A1 - Hieftje, Gary M. A1 - Shelley, Jacob T. T1 - Characterization of a Low-Temperature Plasma (LTP) Ambient Ionization Source Using Temporally Resolved Monochromatic Imaging Spectrometry N2 - The low-temperature plasma (LTP) probe is a common plasma-based source used for ambient desorption–ionization mass spectrometry (MS). While the LTP probe has been characterized in detail with MS, relatively few studies have used optical spectroscopy. In this paper, two-dimensional (2D) imaging at selected wavelengths is used to visualize important species in the LTP plasma jet. First, 2D steady-state images of the LTP plume for N2+ (391.2 nm), He I (706.5 nm), and N2 (337.1 nm) emissions were recorded under selected plasma conditions. Second, time-resolved 2D emission maps of radiative species in the LTP plasma jet were recorded through the use of a 200 ns detection gate and varying gate delays with respect to the LTP trigger pulse. Emission from He I, N2+, and N2 in the plasma jet region was found to show a transient behavior (often referred to as plasma bullets) lasting only a few microseconds. The N2+ and He I maps were highly correlated in spatial and temporal structure. Further, emission from N2 showed two maxima in time, one before and one after the maximum emission for N2+ and He I, due to an initial electronic excitation wave and ion–electron recombination, respectively. Third, the interaction of the LTP probe with a sample substrate and an electrically grounded metallic needle was studied. Emission from a fluorophore on the sample substrate showed an initial photon-induced excitation from plasma-generated photons followed by electronic excitation by other plasma species. The presence of a grounded needle near the plasma jet significantly extended the plasma jet lifetime and also generated a long-lived corona discharge on the needle. The effect of LTP operating parameters on emission spectra was correlated with mass-spectral results including reagent-ion signals. Lastly, five movies provide a side-by-side comparison of the temporal behavior of emitting species and insights into the interactions of the emission clouds with a sample surface as well as an external needle. Temporally and spatially resolved imaging provided insights into important processes in the LTP plasma jet, which will help improve analyte ion sampling in LTP–MS. KW - Optical spectroscopy KW - Low-temperature plasma KW - Ambient ionization KW - Instrumentation PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/00037028231184501 VL - 77 IS - 8 SP - 940 EP - 956 PB - SAGE Publications AN - OPUS4-61269 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Danischewski, Julia L. A1 - You, Yi A1 - Bauer, Lauren A1 - Riedel, Jens A1 - Shelley, Jacob T. T1 - Use of Resonant Acoustic Fields as Atmospheric-Pressure Ion Gates N2 - Ion optics are crucial for spectrometric methods such as mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). Among the wide selection of ion optics, temporal ion gates are of particular importance for time-of-flight MS (TOF-MS) and drift-tube IMS. Commonly implemented as electrostatic ion gates, these optics offer a rapid, efficient means to block ion beams and form discrete ion packets for subsequent analysis. Unfortunately, these devices rely on pulsed high voltage sources and are not fully transparent, even in their open state, which can lead to ion losses and contamination. Here, a novel atmospheric-pressure ion gate based on a resonant acoustic field structure is described. This effect was accomplished through the formation of a resonant, standing acoustic wave of alternating nodes and antinodes. Alignment of an atmospheric-pressure gaseous ion beam with an antinode, i.e. a region of transient pressure, of the acoustic structure acted as a gate and blocked ions from impinging on ion-selective detectors, such as a mass spectrometer and a Faraday plate. The velocity of the ion stream and acoustic power were found to be critical parameters for gating efficiency. In the presence of an acoustic field (i.e., a closed gate), ion signals decreased by as much as 99.8% with a response time faster than the readout of the ion-measurement devices used here (ca. 75 ms). This work demonstrates the basis for a low-cost, acoustic ion gate, which is optically transparent and easily constructed with low-power, off-the-shelf components, that could potentially be used with MS and IMS instrumentation. KW - Acoustic Ion Manipulation PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05493 SN - 1520-6882 VL - 97 IS - 5 SP - 2890 EP - 2898 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-62648 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -