This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims at developing an alternative converter film to be used for slow moving molecules detection in time of flight mass spectroscopy (TOFMS). Single particle detection of slowly moving ions is extremely difficult yet crucial for TOFMS. This chronic problem has suddenly become acute since the recent commercialization of matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI) and atmospheric ionization electrospray by time of flight mass spectroscopy (TOFMS) both of which can analyze huge molecules. In order to analyze 50,000 dalton molecule one must first detect it. Mass resolution in TOFMS is determined by how accurately the arrival time of a particle at a detector can be measured. The problems with the detector are probably the single greatest impediment to miniaturizing these biomass spectrometers. We have a new approach to detection of molecules in TOFMS. It borrows from the old lore of the fusion materials community which when combined with modern but unique thin film avalanche detector structures should solve the detector limitations for TOFMS. Miniaturization would allow many clinical applications including detection of airborne pathogens or toxins with extreme sensitivity.
We will use a new concept to develop a superior, high efficiency detector for MALDI systems.
