Array Detection Technology for Mass Spectrometry Wins 2011 R&D 100 Award

Summary

A new technology to more quickly and efficiently analyze samples in a mass spectrometer has been selected to receive a 2011 R&D 100 Award. The technology was developed by a team of scientists from Indiana University, University of Arizona, Imagerlabs, and under the leadership of Dr. David Koppenaal, chief technology officer for the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a DOE scientific user facility located in Richland, Washington. The Array Detection Technology for Mass Spectrometry significantly updates the detection capabilities of mass spectrometers for proteomics applications and analyses of mixed particles in atmospheric and liquid samples. The Array Detection Technology uses thousands of tiny microchannel detectors, arranged densely in a single electronic device, to detect a wide range of masses at once, thereby enabling a mass spectrometer to analyze a complete sample in just one scan, saving time and simplifying sample analysis. The technology has already been incorporated into a plasma source mass spectrometer being sold by SPECTRO Analytical Instruments of Germany. The awards, given annually by R&D Magazine since 1963, identify and celebrate the top 100 high technology products of the year.