Agilent Technologies has filed a patent for a coated capillary tube with a tunable resistance in an ion transfer device. The tube has an inlet end connected to an atmospheric-pressure ion source and an outlet end connected to a vacuum region of a mass spectrometer. The inside surface of the tube is coated with a resistive coating that includes metal oxides or nitrides and discrete metal particles. The coating allows for the adjustment of resistance in the tube. GlobalData’s report on Agilent Technologies gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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Coated capillary tube with tunable resistance for ion transfer
A recent patent application (Publication Number: US20230313366A1) describes a coated capillary tube with a tunable resistance coating for use in an ion transfer device, specifically in a mass spectrometer. The capillary tube has an inlet end connected to an atmospheric-pressure ion source and an outlet end connected to a vacuum region of the mass spectrometer. The tube is elongated along an axis and has an inside surface with inner bores of a certain diameter. The resistive coating on the inside surface of the tube includes at least one layer comprising oxides or nitrides of a metal and discrete metal particles of a different metal or metal oxide embedded within it.
The patent application provides various claims regarding the composition and characteristics of the capillary tube and its resistive coating. The resistive coating includes oxides of metals such as Al2O3, TiO2, Y2O3, Ta2O5, HfO2, ZrO2, SiO2, or combinations thereof. It may also include metals or metal oxides of Pt, Ru, W, Mo, or combinations thereof. The resistive coating has a total end-to-end resistance ranging from about 100 MOhm to about 50 GOhm and a total temperature coefficient of resistance ranging from about -2%/° C. to about -1%/° C. The capillary tube has a specific length, outer diameter, and inner diameter, ranging from about 75 mm to about 200 mm, about 5 mm to about 10 mm, and about 0.1 mm to about 2.0 mm, respectively.
The resistive coating may include a base layer, a final layer, or both, with the final layer having a greater thickness than the diameter of the discrete metal particles. The base layer, final layer, or both may comprise oxides or nitrides of a metal. The capillary tube may have inner bores with a sheet resistance that decreases in resistance on one or both ends of the tube. Additionally, the resistive coating may include multiple alternating layers of discrete metal particles and oxides or nitrides of the metal, with each layer having a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 800 nm. The overall thickness of the resistive coating ranges from about 0.5 nm to about 1 µm.
The patent application also describes a method for coating the inside surface of the capillary tube using atomic layer deposition (ALD) of metal oxides or metals. The method involves introducing aluminum or zirconium precursors, reacting them with oxygen-containing compounds, and depositing multiple layers of metal oxides. Ruthenium, tungsten, molybdenum, platinum, or a combination precursor is then introduced, followed by ALD deposition of a second layer. This process is repeated for multiple cycles to create the resistive coating. The method may also include annealing, oxidation, or plasma treatment steps.
In summary, the patent application presents a coated capillary tube with a tunable resistance coating for use in an ion transfer device, particularly in a mass spectrometer. The resistive coating includes metal oxides or nitrides and discrete metal particles embedded within it. The capillary tube has specific dimensions and the resistive coating has specific resistance and temperature coefficient characteristics. The application also describes a method for coating the tube using ALD and additional treatment steps.
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