Date of Award

8-2018

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Chemistry

Committee Chair

R. Graham Cooks

Committee Member 1

Shelly A. Claridge

Committee Member 2

Adam Wasserman

Committee Member 3

Julia Laskin

Abstract

This dissertation describes the development of methodologies for characterizing the physical properties of electrosprayed droplets and ions as they exist in the open air. Two novel ways of generating electrospray plumes were developed using voltage induction. Also described is a novel way to measure the sizes of electrosprayed droplets smaller than the diffraction limit of light using super resolution fluorescence microscopy. Studies performed in parallel to the sizing experiments describe an unconventional way of using ablative ions generated by corona discharges to probe chemical reactions occurring inside the inlets of mass spectrometers. Also described is the ability to direct and separate ions in the open air using plastic electrodes.

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