![Material dissolved in the liquid at the port tip is immediately transported into the mass spectrometer, ionized, detected and characterized. Material dissolved in the liquid at the port tip is immediately transported into the mass spectrometer, ionized, detected and characterized.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/news/images/open-port_hr.jpg?itok=yioXa2aA)
In mere seconds, a system developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory can identify and characterize a solid or liquid sample, providing a valuable tool with applications in material science, forensics, pharmaceuticals, biology and