Dielectric-barrier discharge ionization interface for Orbitrap mass spectrometer

DTU Sustain is working with environmental forensics and metabolomic investigations to study the fate and occurrence of chemicals and small molecules dispersed into the environment. The work involves creating untargeted metabolomic and non-target chemical analysis data recordings of trace level chemicals in complex environmental samples using liquid chromatography hyphenated with ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. To be able to make new and novel molecular characterizations and discoveries, DTU wants to procure a dielectric-barrier discharge ionization interface capable of being hyphenated with an existing Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Dielectric-barrier discharge ionization is a soft-ionization method is a promising alternative to traditional mass spectrometry ionization techniques. As an ambient ionization technique, dielectric-barrier discharge operates via a non-thermal plasma generated between two electrodes separated by a dielectric barrier. Unlike traditional ionization sources, it produces a rich mixture of reactive species (e.g., metastable atoms, radicals, photons, and ions) capable of ionizing a broader range of analytes through soft ionization mechanisms (e.g. proton transfer, adduct and Penning ionization). In addition, the combined system must be/have; • Fitted to an Orbitrap Exploris series high-resolution mass spectrometer • Enable for soft ionization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons • Capable of desorption and analyzing a solid-phase microextraction fiber in the interface • A plug-n-play ion source that does not require calibration • Capable of real-time recording of volatile organic chemicals • Soft ionization mechanism based cold plasma, proton transfer and ultra-violet light • No or reduced in-source fragmentation • Potential for coupling with gas and liquid chromatography