| In mass spectrometry an electrospray is commonly used as an ion source. At high sample flow rates a sheath co-flow of gas around the electrospray emitter is employed. The co-flow of gas reduces contamination and increases signal sensitivity in the mass spectrometer's results. This work characterizes the operation of an electrospray with co-flowing air for various operating conditions. It is found that a co-flowing air has a negligible effect on droplet size for the spindle and cone jet modes while it only reduces the droplet size marginally in the unstable mode. In the high flow rate unstable mode, the addition of air seems to have no real effect on droplet size. In summary, the electrospray with co-flowing air produces a denser and more focused spray with similar droplet size and distribution than that of the un-nebulized spray. This explains why using co-flowing air in mass spectrometry applications improves the signal quality, since it allows for the focusing of droplets produced into the inlet and also aids in the breakup of larger droplets. |
