Enabling Analytical Technologies

The second general research area, Enabling Analytical Technologies, covered the area of development and application of mass spectrometric and chromatographic analytical techniques to characterize complex molecular mixtures. Application of the techniques, methods, and approaches developed in this research area focused on aerosol and health and other aspects of environmental health research.

The work of the research area "Enabling Analytical Technologies" was organized in five research groups at UR and Helmholtz Munich, each represented and led by an experienced scientific topic leader:

The development and application of multidimensional comprehensive chromatographic separation methods, often coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry, was carried out in the research topic Comprehensive Chromatographic Separation. The research topic Thermal Processes & Photoionization Mass Spectrometry employed analytical hyphenation methods between thermal methods and mass spectrometry as well as mass spectrometric online monitoring approaches for the analysis of thermal processes. In the research area Aerosol and Laser Mass Spectrometry, single particle laser mass spectrometry (SPMS) was performed. In addition to applications, e.g. for the detection of toxic ship emissions, new laser ionization techniques were being developed, including a femtosecond laser spectroscopy unit. The topic High Resolution Mass Spectrometry dealt with the development and application of ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry using Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR) and orbitrap mass spectrometry. In addition to applications in aerosols and health, petrochemical analyses of, for example, marine fuels were also performed. The spin-off company Photonion GmbH was involved in many research activities in the fields of Enabling Analytical Technologies and Aerosols and Health by developing and supplying the necessary instrumental analytical equipment.