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iGenTraX - primary research areas
iGenTraX
promotes research in various applied and fundamental fields.
The research efforts have a long standing in separation science (Department
of Analytical Chemistry) and mass spectrometry (Department of Physical and
Theoretical Chemistry).
For a deeper understanding of the complex processes involved in API
including the proper delivery of analytes to the
ionization region, particularly after chromatographic or
electrophoretic separation and the
proper delivery of primarily generated ions to the
collision free region of the mass analyzer, a multidisciplinary research
approach is essential.
In the API context “collision free” is referring to the region were mild
electrical fields (< 100 V/cm) and fast transit times (tens of us) prevail.
Ions may still collide, but at a rate which does not severely affect the ion
population distribution.
All regions upstream of the
collision free environment are of interest to us.
Here, ion-molecule reactions may strongly affect the ion distribution and
strongly coupled fluid- and electro-dynamical forces may severely impact on
the efficiency of ion detection. In other words, a deeply folded
multi-dimensional system controlled by numerous input parameters such as gas
and liquid flows and temperatures, source enclosure shape, gas entry and
exit port configurations, gas sampling nozzle characteristics, and chemical
reactivity of the matrix is acting on the primarily generated ion population.
To this end we have made considerable progress over the past years.
Experimental as well as computational efforts have unraveled a wealth of
critical information. To name a few:
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Temperature
profiles in the source enclosure
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Gas velocity
distributions
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Ion trajectories
within the fluid- and electro-dynamical force field
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Dwell times of
neutrals and ions in the source enclosure
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Dwell times of
ions in transfer capillaries
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Permeability of
ion transfer capillaries
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Distributions of
ion acceptance of API sources
Please refer to the websites of the
Departments of Analytical Chemistry and
Physical and
Theoretical Chemistry for further information.
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