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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Investigation of Early Plasma Evolution Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses
Published on: July 2, 2012
Laser-Induced Acoustic Desorption Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization via VUV-Generating Microplasmas
Kevin Benham1, Robert Hodyss2, Facundo M Fernández1
1School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
Abstract:
We demonstrate the first application of laser-induced acoustic desorption (LIAD) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) as a mass spectrometric method for detecting low-polarity organics. This was accomplished using a Lyman-α (10.2 eV) photon generating microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) microplasma photon source in conjunction with the addition of a gas-phase molecular dopant. This combination provided a soft desorption and a relatively soft ionization technique. Selected compounds analyzed include α-tocopherol, perylene, cholesterol, phenanthrene, phylloquinone, and squalene. Detectable surface concentrations as low as a few pmol per spot sampled were achievable using test molecules. The combination of LIAD and APPI provided a soft desorption and ionization technique that can allow detection of labile, low-polarity, structurally complex molecules over a wide mass range with minimal fragmentation. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
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