Impactor Ion Source Target Electrodes for High Gas Flow

The ion source is segmented into distinct functional zones: a nebulization region, an impactor region with target rod, and an extraction region with electrodes. This segmentation allows the curtain gas to effectively protect the inlet while electrostatic fields in the extraction region recover and guide ions toward the detector, preventing signal loss despite high gas flow rates.

Electrodes positioned around the target rod act as intermediaries that create electrostatic fields to guide ions through the high-velocity gas flow. These electrodes mediate between the ionization region and the detector, ensuring ions are efficiently extracted and transmitted even when curtain gas flow is high enough to block neutral contaminants.

The liquid spray is pre-nebulized into fine droplets before reaching the target rod, creating a dispersed cloud that ionizes more efficiently upon impact. This preliminary nebulization ensures high ionization efficiency while the subsequent electrostatic extraction quickly collects the generated ions before they can be dispersed by the curtain gas flow.

The mechanical momentum of the high-velocity spray is replaced by electrostatic forces for ion extraction and guidance. Instead of relying solely on the spray's kinetic energy to overcome gas flow, electrostatic fields are used to accelerate and guide ions toward the detector, maintaining signal intensity despite high curtain gas rates that would otherwise cause loss.