China masters key technologies for the development of small-scale mass spectrometers

Today, the reporter learned from the China Academy of Metrology that the institute, jointly with Tsinghua University and other organizations, completed the “Key Technology Innovation and Machine Development of Small-scale Mass Spectrometers” project that was completed in eight years and won the 2010 National Science and Technology Progress Award. The project has captured the core technologies and key components of the mass spectrometer, successfully developed six kinds of mass spectrometers such as laboratory mass spectrometers, vehicle mass spectrometers, biological mass spectrometers, and small portable mass spectrometers, as well as a research and development technology platform, and realized a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The industrialization has opened up a new phase in China's mass spectrometry business. Among them, 3 core technological achievements were created internationally, and 3 achievements reached the international advanced level, filling the domestic gap.

Figure 1 Portable Mass Spectrometer A mass spectrometer is a device that ionizes particles (atoms, molecules) into ions, separates them by an appropriate electric field or magnetic field, and detects their intensities for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Because of its direct measurement nature and high resolution, high sensitivity, high throughput, and high accuracy, mass spectrometers have an irreplaceable role in fields such as life sciences, materials science, food safety, environmental monitoring, healthcare, and national security. And a decisive position. In recent years, with the rapid development of mass spectrometry at home and abroad, the market demand for mass spectrometers has rapidly become the most important instrument in the field of analysis.

In China, subject to the “hollowing out” of the core technology of the mass spectrometer, the domestic mass spectrometer market has been monopolized by foreign companies, limiting innovation in related fields. Supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program and the National Natural Science Fund Project, the China Institute of Metrology launched this research in 2002.

It is understood that the research group started with the open experimental platform, key technologies and key components of the open mass spectrometer, broke through the foreign technology blockade, solved the bottleneck problem that has plagued China's mass spectrometer research and independent manufacturing for a long time, and established a number of internationally advanced levels. Patented technology, and put forward three important inventions that fill the international gap in the key core areas of the mass spectrometer: the mass analyzer and the ion source: for the first time, “based on a multi-electrode structure that can independently adjust the RF voltage to balance the mechanical error band "High-order fields" and "Approaching mechanical shapes to obtain an approximately perfect electric field." Two kinds of mass analyzers have developed new ideas. For the first time, new methods and new devices for low-temperature plasma ionization using dielectric barrier discharge technology have been proposed. At present, on the basis of six kinds of open mass spectrometer R&D technology platforms, three types of mass spectrometers have entered the product technology stage.

The key technology innovations and machine development of small-scale mass spectrometers have broken the monopoly of key technologies in the field of mass spectrometers in developed countries, changed the backward state of domestic mass spectrometer instruments, and led China’s mass spectrometer industry to achieve leapfrog development and will be common in China. Areas such as safety, life sciences, bio-safety, and space science and technology play an important supporting role.