A Rapid Evaporation-Dielectric Barrier Discharge Ionization Source and Its Application in A Homemade Miniaturized Mass Spectrometer

A miniaturized dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source assisted with a sample rapid evaporation platform was developed. With the DBDI source, the sample solution could be evaporated rapidly into aerosol state and then transferred to plasma ionization region, which improved the efficiency of sample transmission and ionization. The miniaturized DBDI source was coupled to a homemade miniaturized linear ion trap mass spectrometer which had a total volume of 31.5 cmx27. 3 cmx27. 3 cm and a weight of about 18 kg. In the experiment, the flow rate of carrier gas (He) and the temperature of sample rapid evaporation platform were optimized, and the limit of detection (LOD) and stability of the instrument were evaluated. Experimental results indicated that a LOD of 0.2 ng/mL ( caffeine solution, mass selected storage, m/z 195) was achieved. The relative standard deviation ( RSD) of the mass spectrum intensity was calculated to be 11.1%. Furthermore, various samples including propofol, arginine, SIPI5286 and reserpine were analyzed using the instrument. The combination of rapid evaporation assisted DBDI source and the homemade miniaturized linear ion trap mass spectrometer had the characteristics of strong qualitative ability, fast analytical speed, low limit of detection and high stability, and showed a great potential in the field of real-time and in-situ analysis.