Patent ID: 8373119
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
1. A method of analyzing composition of aerosol particles comprising: providing an instrumentation including an ablation chamber, a conduit, and a mass spectrometer; supplying aerosol particles into said ablation chamber through an opening in said ablation chamber wherein said ablation chamber is maintained at a reduced pressure greater than 1.0×10 ablating said aerosol particles during transit in said ablation chamber at said reduced pressure, wherein said aerosols particles are decomposed into ions of ablated aerosol particles having lesser mass after ablation; flowing a buffer gas into said conduit, wherein speed of said ions of said ablated aerosol particles is reduced by said buffer gas, and wherein said ions of said ablated aerosol particles pass through said conduit; and analyzing mass-to-charge distribution of said ions of said ablated aerosol particles in said mass spectrometer.