INSTRUMENTATION FOR TIME-RESOLVED MASS SPECTROMETRY APPLICATION TO LASER-VAPORIZATION OF SOLID MATERIALS,
Abstract
A technique has been developed for coupling a pulsed laser with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer so that low vapor pressure materials, such as, polymers and refractories, can be vaporized directly in the ion source of the spectrometer. Concomitantly, the instrumentation for recording time-resolved mass spectra has been improved to permit more quantitative measurements of short-lived species, and is applicable to any mass spectral analysis of transient events in the submillisecond (or longer) time domain. Two types of time resolution are possible; the first gives the duration of all the mass peaks (within a designated range), and the second can present the intensity of any six preselected mass peaks as a function of time for each laser pulse. Performance of the laser-mass spectrometer system has demonstrated its ability to conveniently vaporize such refractory materials as graphite and readily discriminate between the transient vapors like C3 and the stable ones, such as, C2H2. Moreover, laser heating has manifested a very practical advantage in the elimination of background spectra due to heated sample containers and support structures. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0669453
Entities
People
- Kenneth A. Lincoln
Organizations
- Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory