Patent ID: 8258469

Claim:
A cycling electrospray ionization device adapted for use in a mass spectrometer which is for analyzing analytes, and which includes a receiving unit disposed to admit therein ionized analytes obtainable through ionization of the analytes, said cycling electrospray ionization device comprising: a driving mechanism; and at least one nozzle configured to sequentially form liquid droplets of an electrospray medium thereat, and adapted to establish a traveling path with the receiving unit such that when a potential difference is applied between said nozzle and the receiving unit to lade the liquid droplets with a plurality of electric charges for ionizing the analytes to form the ionized analytes, the charged droplets are forced to move toward the receiving unit along the traveling path, said nozzle defining a nozzle axis, and being driven by said driving mechanism to proceed with a cycling route about a cycling axis such that said nozzle axis tracks along said cycling route, and such that immediately after leaving said nozzle, the liquid droplets cooperate to form a substantially columnar plume with a cross section substantially surrounded by said cycling route.