title: Microplasma Ionization of Volatile Organics for Improving Air/Water Monitoring Systems On-Board the International Space Station.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.|ThoMSon Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosana M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Alberici
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Joel D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Keelor
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Prabha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dwivedi
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Zambrzycki
authors.affiliation: Wyle Science, Technology, and Engineering Group, Houston, TX, 77058, USA.
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 77058, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Gazda
authors.affiliation: Wyle Science, Technology, and Engineering Group, Houston, TX, 77058, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Limero
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Josh M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Symonds
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.|School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Orlando
authors.affiliation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 77058, USA.
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macatangay
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA. facundo.fernandez@chemistry.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Facundo M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fernández
keywords: Air quality monitoring; Direct analysis in real-time; Ion source miniaturization; Microhollow cathode discharge; Plasma ionization