Working principle

The chip is placed inside the interface block, and the EC unit is coupled to the interface block. In the animation, the balance of volatile analytes between electrolyte and sampling volume is displayed.

The membrane chip directly couples between the electrolyte and the high vacuum of the mass spectrometer (MS) without the need for a differential pump.

The membrane chip creates a well-defined liquid gas vacuum interface and controls the transfer of volatile molecules from the electrolyte to the mass spectrometer. Inside the chip, the buried sampling volume is balanced with the external environment, preventing liquids from entering. The pressure in the sampling volume is precisely controlled by our embedded gas processing system. To pressurize the sampling volume, any type of supplementary gas can be used. Due to the small size of the sampling volume and electrolyte layer, the equilibrium between gas and liquid is almost instantaneous. During the equilibrium process, all volatile substances in the liquid fill the sampling volume according to Henry's law. The sampling volume is connected to the MS via a capillary tube, which is designed to limit the molecular flow rate to 10-15 molecules per second. Therefore, there is no need for a differential pump stage. Because the flow rate is known and all molecules are collected by MS, the mass spectrometry signal can be directly converted to mol/sec. This is what makes Spectro Inlets the only truly quantitative EC-MS system currently available. Finally, the pressurization of the sampling volume allows for EC experiments to be conducted at elevated pressure and temperature.

Characteristics and advantages

Membrane chip:

Tailored analyte sampling and molecular flow for true quantitative analysis.

Standardized sample rack:

Piranha's cleanable stagnant thin layer EC cell is commonly used in RDE for standard 5mm cylindrical electrodes.

Fast time response:

Sub second time resolution.

High sensitivity:

Measure the desorption of a 10 ppm monolayer within 1 second.

High dynamic range:

Measure the continuous product formation from 1 mA to 1 nA.

Quantitative analysis:

100% volatile substance collection efficiency and customized molecular flux for detectors.

Dose of reactive gas:

Fully defined mass transfer of incoming and outgoing electrodes.

Quick sample and chip exchange:

Integrated vacuum system allows for easy replacement of chips without interrupting instrument operation or exhaust.

Simplified software solution:

Complete system control and synchronized EC-MS data acquisition and plotting. The complete document is customizable for users.

Physical picture