Dielectric barrier discharge in mass spectrometry – An overview over plasma investigations and ion sources applications

A recent development in ion source research are the so-called low temperature plasmas based on dielectric barrier discharges. As the name comprises, a feature of these ion sources is that they are applicable to heat-sensitive analytes, and they can ionize a wide range of compounds. Important parameters such as configuration, shape, size, and materials have been intensively researched in the past two decades. However, the actual ionization mechanism has not been fully elucidated yet for all plasma gases. This review aims to first give an overview over atmospheric pressure ion sources, before focusing on plasma and dielectric barrier discharge based ion sources. Investigations on the reactions occurring in the plasma will be summarized, and a closer look will be given to the applications that have been developed in different research groups.