Microplasma Ionization of Volatile Organics for Improving Air/Water Monitoring Systems On-Board the International Space Station

• Published in: Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 1203 - 1210
• Main Authors: Bernier, Matthew C., Alberici, Rosana M., Keelor, Joel D., Dwivedi, Prabha, Zambrzycki, Stephen C., Wallace, William T., Gazda, Daniel B., Limero, Thomas F., Symonds, Josh M., Orlando, Thomas M., Macatangay, Ariel, Fernández, Facundo M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air monitoring; Analytical Chemistry; Bioinformatics; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Contaminants; Cost analysis; Discharge; Environmental control; Environmental impact; Environmental monitoring; Foils; Insulators; International Space Station; Ionization; Low cost; Low molecular weights; Manned space flight; Mass spectrometers; Mass spectrometry; Mica; Microplasmas; Multinational space ventures; Organic Chemistry; Plasmas (physics); Proteomics; Research Article; Space stations; Spacecraft environments; Spectrometers; Plasma ionization; Microhollow cathode discharge; Ion source miniaturization; Air quality monitoring; Direct analysis in real-time
• ISSN: 1044-0305; 1879-1123
• DOI: 10.1007/s13361-016-1388-y

Low molecular weight polar organics are commonly observed in spacecraft environments. Increasing concentrations of one or more of these contaminants can negatively impact Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) systems and/or the health of crew members, posing potential risks to the success of manned space missions. Ambient plasma ionization mass spectrometry (MS) is finding effective use as part of the analytical methodologies being tested for next-generation space module environmental analysis. However, ambient ionization methods employing atmospheric plasmas typically require relatively high operation voltages and power, thus limiting their applicability in combination with fieldable mass spectrometers. In this work, we investigate the use of a low power microplasma device in the microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) configuration for the analysis of polar organics encountered in space missions. A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure with molybdenum foil disc electrodes and a mica insulator was used to form a 300 μm diameter plasma discharge cavity. We demonstrate the application of these MIM microplasmas as part of a versatile miniature ion source for the analysis of typical volatile contaminants found in the International Space Station (ISS) environment, highlighting their advantages as low cost and simple analytical devices. Graphical Abstract ᅟ