Plasma-based ambient mass spectrometry: Recent progress and applications

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) offers direct analysis from native environments with minimal sample preparation.
• Plasma-based AMS techniques are particularly noteworthy for their speed, real-time capabilities, and suitability for high-throughput, in vivo, and in situ measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of established plasma-based AMS techniques, including their ion source configurations, mechanisms, and developmental progress.
• To summarize the advancements in representative applications of plasma-based AMS across various scientific fields from January 2017 to January 2021.
• To discuss current challenges and propose future research directions for plasma-based AMS.

Main Methods:

• Review of established plasma-based ambient mass spectrometry techniques.
• Analysis of recent (2017-2021) applications in bioanalysis, pharmaceuticals, forensics, food safety, and mass spectrometry imaging.
• Synthesis of current challenges and future outlooks in the field.

Main Results:

• Detailed overview of various plasma-based AMS techniques and their evolution.
• Summary of significant progress in diverse application areas over the last four years.
• Identification of key challenges and promising future avenues for plasma-based AMS development.

Conclusions:

• Plasma-based AMS is a rapidly evolving field with diverse applications.
• Continued development is expected to address current limitations and expand analytical capabilities.
• The technique holds significant promise for in situ and real-time analysis across multiple scientific disciplines.