SBIR-STTR Award

This project will integrate two of the most significant devices for analytical separation and detection: capillary electrophoresis (CE) and mass spectrometry (MS). Other attempts to couple these two have had limitations because of insufficient sensitivity and scan speed. This system will be based on an atmospheric pressure ionization (API) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) system. A specially designed, CE/electrospray ion source will be added, as well as an ion mirror to increase the resolution of the instrument and minimize its limitations. If successful, this device will meet the industry's expectation in situations where fast separations are desired or the number of samples to be analyzed increases. This device will have applications in such fields as biochemical analysis, pharmaceutical analysis, environmental analysis, and process quality control.

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase 11 project will further refine the concepts from the phase I results that established the feasibility of capillary electrophoresis/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE/TOFMS). TOFMS potentially provides nearly ideal detection capability for CE because it combines high sensitivity, and high scan speed, with the ability (when used with electrospray ionization) to detect ionized solution phase compounds typical of many biological and environmental samples. Our research objectives for the phase 11 project include: (1) development, implementation, and testing of the next generation high speed data acquisition system; (2) construction and testing of a 50 cm `inverted perfectron` TOFMS; (3) refinement of the electrospray ion source and the interface between the ion source and the TOFMS; and (4) further development of capillary column technology for CE. These refinements are based on new concepts and experimental results generated in phase I and are aimed at improving performance and reliability and increasing the cost effectiveness of CE/TOFMS. They will culminate in a prototype instrument very similar to one that could be introduced as a commercial product. To date no publications have resulted from this work. We plan to publish results in the future. Two inventions were developed during the course of this work. One deals with the transport of ions through the differentially pumped interface connecting the mass spectrometer to the electrospray ion source. The second is a new type of data acquisition system. The art of both inventions will be taught in patents we will file. We anticipate describing the them in scientific presentations and papers as well. It is also our plan to make the inventions available as part of a commercial TOFMS when the technology has matured sufficiently for a product introduction.