Bradbury-Nielsen vs. Field switching shutters for high resolution drift tube ion mobility spectrometers

A key component in the design of every drift tube ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) is the ion shutter which controls the injection of ions into the drift tube. Especially, compact drift tube IMS require very short injection pulses to achieve high resolution and therefore require fast ion shutters. Thus, it is important to find an ion shutter principle that can be readily scaled towards these short injection widths without causing major non-idealities in the injection process, such as drift field inhomogeneities, ion loss and ion discrimination by mobility. In this paper, we compare different ion shutter principles, foremost the Bradbury-Nielsen gate and a field switching design. It is shown through theoretical considerations and field simulations that the Bradbury-Nielsen shutter is more universally applicable and typically less complex for long injections widths but field inhomogeneities associated with its operating principle impede the scaling process. Thus, the currently less used field switching shutters will become the superior principle when very short injection widths are required, as this shutter principle allows for single digit microsecond widths.     

Development of an ion mobility spectrometer for use in an atmospheric pressure ionization ion mobility spectrometer/mass spectrometer instrument for fast screening analysis

An ion mobility spectrometer that can easily be installed as an intermediate component between a commercial triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer and its original atmospheric pressure ionization (API) sources was developed. The curtain gas from the mass spectrometer is also used as the ion mobility spectrometer drift gas. The design of the ion mobility spectrometer allows reasonably fast installation (about 1 h), and thus the ion mobility spectrometer can be considered as an accessory of the mass spectrometer. The ion mobility spectrometer module can also be used as an independently operated device when equipped with a Faraday cup detector. The drift tube of the ion mobility spectrometer module consists of inlet, desolvation, drift, and extraction regions. The desolvation, drift and extraction regions are separated by ion gates. The inlet region has the shape of a stainless steel cup equipped with a small orifice. Ion mobility spectrometer drift gas is introduced through a curtain gas line from an original flange of the mass spectrometer. After passing through the drift tube, the drift gas serves as a curtain gas for the ion-sampling orifice of the ion mobility spectrometer before entering the ion source. Counterflow of the drift gas improves evaporation of the solvent from the electrosprayed sample. Drift gas is pumped away from the ion source through the original exhaust orifice of the ion source. Initial characterization of the ion mobility spectrometer device includes determination of resolving power values for a selected set of test compounds, separation of a simple mixture, and comparison of the sensitivity of the electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry (ESI-IMS/MS) mode with that of the ESI-MS mode. A resolving power of 80 was measured for 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine in a 333 V/cm drift field at room temperature and with a 0.2 ms ion gate opening time. The resolving power was shown to be dependent on drift gas flow rate for all studied ion gate opening times. Resolving power improved as the drift gas flow increased, e.g. at a 0.5 ms gate opening time, a resolving power of 31 was obtained with a 0.65 L/min flow rate and 47 with a 1.3 L/min flow rate for tetrabutylammonium iodide. The measured limits of detection with ESI-MS and with ESI-IMS/MS modes were similar, demonstrating that signal losses in the IMS device are minimal when it is operated in a continuous flow mode. Based on these preliminary results, the IMS/MS instrument is anticipated to have potential for fast screening analysis that can be applied, for example, in environmental and drug analysis.     

Theoretical and experimental study of the achievable separation power in resistive‐glass atmospheric pressure ion mobility spectrometry

We present a detailed investigation of the performance of our previously reported nanoelectrospray high‐resolution resistive‐glass atmospheric pressure drift tube ion mobility spectrometer constructed with monolithic resistive‐glass desolvation and drift regions. Using experimental spectral data and theoretical pulse width and diffusion variables, we compare theoretical and experimental resolving powers achievable under a variety of field strengths and ion gate pulse widths. The effects of instrumental and operational parameters on the resolution achievable in chromatographic terms are also discussed. Following characterization of the separation power of the instrument, experimental spectral peak width data is fitted by a least‐squares procedure to a pre‐existing semi‐empirical model developed to study contributions to peak width other than initial pulse width and diffusional broadening. The model suggests possible contributions to the final measured peak width from electric field inhomogeneity and minor contributions from instrumental parameters such as anode size, anode‐to‐anode grid distance and drift gas flow rate. The model also reveals an unexpected ion gate width dependence on the final measured peak width that we attribute to non‐ideal performance of the Bradbury‐Nielsen ion gate and limitations in the design of our pulsing‐electronics. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alkali halides based on nano-alumina as positive and negative ion source for ion mobility and mass spectrometry

In this work, a new long-life alkali ion source is proposed that is based on alkali halide salts doped in nano-γ-alumina (Al₂O₃). Depending on the polarity, the ion source produces both alkali and halide ions. The source was characterized using different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). SEM images confirm a strong interaction between the alkali halide (MX) and nano-γ-alumina. The average particle size of the doped nanoparticles was calculated to be 44 nm by TEM. Formation of new phases (KAlCl₂O and K₃AlF₆) was confirmed by XRD and that of Al–O–K group in the synthesized particles by FT-IR. Alkali and halide ion peaks were observed by IMS in the positive and negative modes, respectively. The lifetime of the ion source for different alkali halides was measured to range from 216 to 960 h. The total ion current emitted from the source was about 2 µA, while it was 12 nA at the collector plate of the IMS. Finally, application of the new source in ion mobility spectrometry was demonstrated by observing ion mobility spectra of compounds ionized via cation and anion attachment reaction.     

A novel surface ionization source for ion mobility spectrometer

A surface ionization (SI) source is designed and prepared for ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). The source acts not only as an emitter but also an ion injector which can inject ions periodically into the drift region of drift tube. Using the dual-role source, the dimension of the drift tube can be decreased and the circuit for high voltage can be simplified efficiently. The IMS with the SI source has a response range of ∼4 orders of magnitude and a good reproducibility to tri-ethylamine. Compared with radioactive ionization (RI), the ultra-short time for ion injection and the zero level base line of ion mobility spectrum are characteristics of the surface ionization.     

微波诱导等离子体离子迁移谱仪性能及影响因素的研究

离子迁移谱仪的性能受到多种因素的影响,如漂移管电场强度离子门脉冲宽度、离子源工作条件、漂移管尺寸、离子门加工工艺和屏蔽网透过率等。在实际应用中需要对漂移管电场强度和离子门脉冲宽度进行调整以平衡灵敏度和分辨率。本研究详细研究了漂移管电场强度和离子门脉冲宽度对微波诱导等离子体离子迁移谱( MIPI-IMS)分辨率和灵敏度的影响。实验结果表明,存在一个最佳电场强度值使得分辨率达到最大,而且不同离子门脉冲宽度对应的最佳电场强度值不同;增大电场强度和离子门脉冲宽度有利于灵敏度的提升。与其它离子流较弱的离子源相比,离子流较大的微波诱导等离子体离子源在实际应用中对离子门脉冲宽度和漂移管电场强度有更多的选择。此研究结果有助于MIPI-IMS仪器性能的提升。将异丙醇用于测试MIPI-IMS的性能,结果表明,MIPI-IMS在保持较低检出限(7.7×10-11, V/V)的同时,分辨率可以达到66。     

Evaluation of micro-electrospray ionization with ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry

In recent years, the resolving power of ion mobility instruments has been increased significantly, enabling ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) to be utilized as an analytical separation technique for complex mixtures. In theory, decreasing the drift tube temperature results in increased resolution due to decreased ion diffusion. However, the heat requirements for complete ion desolvation with electrospray ionization (ESI) have limited the reduction of temperatures in atmospheric pressure ion mobility instruments. Micro-electrospray conditions were investigated in this study to enable more efficient droplet formation and ionization with the objective of reducing drift tube temperatures and increasing IMS resolution. For small molecules (peptides), the drift tube temperature was reduced to ambient temperature with good resolution by employing reduced capillary diameters and flow rates. By employing micro-spray conditions, experimental resolution values approaching theoretically predicted resolution were achieved over a wide temperature range (30 to 250 °C). The historical heat requirements of atmospheric pressure IMS due to ESI desolvation were eliminated due to the use of micro-spray conditions and the high-resolution IMS spectra of GLY-HIS-LYS was obtained at ambient temperature. The desolvation of proteins (cytochrome c) was found to achieve optimal resolution at temperatures greater than 125 °C. This is significantly improved from earlier IMS studies that required drift tube temperatures of 250°C for protein desolvation.     

Letter: A simple ion source set-up for desorption/ionization on silicon with ion mobility spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry

Using a simple ion source set-up, laser desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS) was demonstrated with the use of a custom-made drift tube ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), mounted on a commercial triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, and with an IMS equipped with a Faraday plate detector. DIOS was tested by mobility measurement of tetrapropylammonium iodide, tetrabutylammonium iodide and tetrapentylammonium iodide, whilst 2,6-di-tert- butylpyridine was used as a standard. The reduced mobilities measured for the test halides are in concordance with previously obtained ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry data.     

Paper spray ionization with ion mobility spectrometry at ambient pressure

A paper spray ion source was combined with a drift tube operating at ambient pressure for mobility measurements of ions derived from pharmaceutical solutions. Paper spray ionization with solvent alone resulted in a mixture of ions convolved to a single peak with a reduced mobility of 2.19 cm²/Vs in the mobility spectrum. These were mass-identified principally as m/z 157, (MeOH)₂(HCOOH)₂H⁺ and m/z 129, (MeOH)₄(H₂O)H⁺ while pharmaceuticals with nitrogen bases formed MH⁺ product ions. The duration of response was governed by the volume of liquid added to the paper source and was limited by evaporation of solvent in gas at 58 °C venting the drift tube. Quantitative variation was attributed in part to morphologic changes in the tip of the paper spray source. This was associated with mass flow in the electrical discharge and not due alone to cycles of wetting and drying of the paper. Mobility spectra of chlorpromazine in urine, exhibited a single product ion peak and linear response was 30 to 500 ng with an estimated limit of detection of 1.5 ng. Ion flux could be prolonged by continuous addition of liquid and findings portend a combination of paper spray ionization IMS with paper chromatography.     

Patterns of ion distributions from a cylindrical 63 Ni foil in an ion mobility spectrometer

Ion distributions in the 38 mm cross section of a drift tube for ion mobility spectrometry were determined using a charge accumulation IonCCD with imaging capability of 2126 pixels each 21 μm wide. A 10 mCi ⁶³Ni ion source with concentric cylinder geometry was examined experimentally using a drift tube with compressed rings separated by sapphire balls. Results were compared to computational findings from SIMION to learn the influence of source geometry on equipotential contours and on beam shapes. Swarms of ions formed in air at ambient pressure were shaped though field contours into ion beams which retained shape over the 45 mm drift length in an electric field of 30 V/mm. The IonCCD images revealed subtle beam alignments from azimuthal asymmetry of the source and holder not possible to see in a simple Faraday plate detector. Double slit experiments demonstrated a capability to shape ion beams with mechanical structures over a drift tube cross section.     

Monte Carlo simulation of ion transport in ion mobility spectrometry

A program for simulation of ion trajectories in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) instruments has been developed and incorporated into SIMION 7.0 [Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 200 (2000) 3–25]. Simulations were based on elastic collisions between ions and gas particles and conducted for an IMS drift tube. The program was validated by comparing the reduced mobility of helium ions derived from the simulation with the experimental data for helium ions in neon drift gas in low electric fields. Typical IMS parameters, including pressure, temperature, and flow rate of the drift gas were taken into account in the simulations. The program demonstrates capabilities of generating IMS spectra and predicting ion transport efficiency and separating ions. For the IMS drift tube studied, a correlation between imperfection of the electric field distribution and low resolution has been observed.     

Improved design for high resolution electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry

An improved design for high resolution electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry (ESI-IMS) was developed by making some salient modifications to the IMS cell and its performance was investigated. To enhance desolvation of electrospray droplets at high sample flow rates in this new design, volume of the desolvation region was decreased by reducing its diameter and the entrance position of the desolvation gas was shifted to the end of the desolvation region (near the ion gate). In addition, the ESI source (both needle and counter electrode) was positioned outside of the heating oven of the IMS. This modification made it possible to use the instrument at higher temperatures, and preventing needle clogging in the electrospray process. The ion mobility spectra of different chemical compounds were obtained. The resolving power and resolution of the instrument were increased by about 15-30% relative to previous design. In this work, the baseline separation of the two adjacent ion peaks of morphine and those of codeine was achieved for the first time with resolutions of 1.5 and 1.3, respectively. These four ion peaks were well separated from each other using carbon dioxide (CO₂) rather than nitrogen as the drift gas. Finally, the analytical parameters obtained for ethion, metalaxyl, and tributylamine indicated the high performance of the instrument for quantitative analysis.     

Coupling of capillary electrophoresis with electrospray ionization multiplexing ion mobility spectrometry

In this work, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) function as a detector and another dimension of separation was coupled with CE to achieve two‐dimensional separation. To improve the performance of hyphenated CE‐IMS instrument, electrospray ionization correlation ion mobility spectrometry is evaluated and compared with traditional signal averaging data acquisition method using tetraalkylammonium bromide compounds. The effect of various parameters on the separation including sample introduction, sheath fluid of CE and drift gas, data acquisition method of IMS were investigated. The experimental result shows that the optimal conditions are as follows: hydrodynamic sample injection method, the electrophoresis voltage is 10 kilo volts, 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate buffer solution containing 80% acetonitrile as both the background electrolyte and the electrospray ionization sheath fluid, the ESI liquid flow rate is 4.5 μL/min, the drift voltage is 10.5 kilo volts, the drift gas temperature is 383 K and the drift gas flow rate is 300 mL/min. Under the above conditions, the mixture standards of seven tetraalkylammoniums can be completely separated within 10 min both by CE and IMS. The linear range was 5–250 μg/mL, with LOD of 0.152, 0.204, 0.277, 0.382, 0.466, 0.623 and 0.892 μg/mL, respectively. Compared with traditional capillary electrophoresis detection methods, the developed CE‐ESI‐IMS method not only provide two sets of qualitative parameters including electrophoresis migration time and ion drift time, ion mobility spectrometer can also provide an additional dimension of separation and could apply to the detection ultra‐violet transparent compounds or none fluorescent compounds.     

Comparison of the performance of three ion mobility spectrometers for measurement of biogenic amines

The performance of three different types of ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) devices: GDA2 with a radioactive ion source (Airsense, Germany), UV-IMS with a photo-ionization source (G.A.S. Germany) and VG-Test with a corona discharge source (3QBD, Israel) was studied. The gas-phase ion chemistry in the IMS devices affected the species formed and their measured reduced mobility values. The sensitivity and limit of detection for trimethylamine (TMA), putrescine and cadaverine were compared by continuous monitoring of a stream of air with a given concentration of the analyte and by measurement of headspace vapors of TMA in a sealed vial. Preprocessing of the mobility spectra and the effectiveness of multivariate curve resolution techniques (MCR-LASSO) improved the accuracy of the measurements by correcting baseline effects and adjusting for variations in drift time as well as enhancing the signal to noise ratio and deconvolution of the complex data matrix to their pure components. The limit of detection for measurement of the biogenic amines by the three IMS devices was between 0.1 and 1.2 ppm (for TMA with the VG-Test and GDA, respectively) and between 0.2 and 0.7 ppm for putrescine and cadaverine with all three devices. Considering the uncertainty in the LOD determination there is almost no statistically significant difference between the three devices although they differ in their operating temperature, ionization method, drift tube design and dopant chemistry. This finding may have general implications on the achievable performance of classic IMS devices.     

An alternative field switching ion gate for ESI-ion mobility spectrometry

In electrospray ionization (ESI)-ion mobility spectrometry, continuously generated ions must be desolvated in a first tube before short ion pulses are introduced into a second (drift) tube. Both tubes are separated by an ion-gate. The resolving power of the resulting drift time spectrum is strongly influenced by the design of the ion gate. In the case of the Bradbury-Nielsen gates typically used, an orthogonal field between oppositely charged, parallel wires blocks ions from entering the drift tube. However, the blocking field also distorts the entering ion cloud. One alternative, which eliminates these effects and therefore enables a potentially higher resolving power, is already known for spectrometers with small ionization volumes, where ions are formed between two electrodes and subsequently transferred into the drift tube by a high voltage pulse. Based on this setup, we introduce an alternative ion gate design for liquid samples, named field switching ion gate (FSIG). The continuous flow of ions generated by ESI is desolvated in the first tube and introduced into the space between two electrodes (repeller and transfer electrodes). A third (blocking) electrode prevents the movement of ions into the drift tube in the closed state. Ions are transferred during the open state by pulsing the voltages of the repeller and blocking electrodes. First results demonstrate an increase of the resolving power by 100% without intensity losses and further changes in the spectrometer setup. The parameters of the FSIG, such as electrode voltages and pulse width, are characterized allowing the optimization of the spectrometer’s resolving power.     

Simulation aided design of a low cost ion mobility spectrometer based on printed circuit boards

Miniaturized low-cost drift tubes with high analytical performance are a key component for the design of powerful and mass-deployable hand-held ion mobility spectrometers. Thus, a simple model that estimates the influence of the geometrical dimensions on the analytical performance is highly desirable for an effective design process. In this work, we present a simple procedure to predict peak distortion based on only the electrical field distribution inside the drift tube, which can be rapidly simulated using the finite element method. A simulation of the ion motion is not required. Based on these results, we developed an ion mobility spectrometer manufactured entirely from standard printed circuit boards (PCB). Since no additional components were used apart from electrical and gas connectors, ion source and metal grids, the presented ion mobility spectrometer is very simple and inexpensive. Nevertheless, the design provides a resolving power of 82 at a drift length of 50 mm and a drift voltage of 3 kV using a tritium ion source and a field switching shutter. The limits of detection for one second of averaging are 80 ppt_v for acetone, 35 ppt_v for dimethyl methylphosphonate and 180 ppt_v for methyl salicylate.     

Determination of MTBE in drinking water using corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is an organic compound which is used as a gasoline additive. Contamination of ground and surface water can occur due to large scale use of MTBE and its high solubility in water. According to United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), MTBE is a possible human carcinogen at high doses and its detection and measurement in the water is important as concerned about human health. In this work, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) equipped with a corona discharge ionization source was used for determination of MTBE in drinking water. Both pure and aqueous solutions of MTBE were studied and their ion mobility spectra were obtained at different temperatures. Using a calibration curve for detection of MTBE in drinking water, a detection limit (LOD) of 1 mg/L was obtained by IMS. This work proved that, IMS with corona discharge can be used for fast and direct detection of MTBE in water sample without any sample preparation.     

An ion mobility spectrometer sensor system for subsurface use

An ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) probe system for real-time, subsurface soil-gas sampling applications is presented. The system includes an IMS and supporting electronics encased in a 51 mm diameter stainless steel probe housing. The IMS was challenged in the laboratory with 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (DtBP) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in zero air yielding reduced ion mobility constants (K_o) values of 1.42 cm²/Vs (n = 3) and 1.79 ± 0.01 cm²/Vs (n = 3), respectively. A resolving power of 38 and 31 was obtained for DtBP and PCE, respectively. The system was deployed at a PCE-contaminated site to demonstrate its performance under field conditions. PCE was detected in the vapor samples as evidenced by peaks with a K_o value of 1.80 ± 0.01 cm²/Vs for two measurements that were taken 6 min apart. The presence of PCE at the contaminated site was confirmed by GC-MS analysis of a gas sample at an EPA-certified laboratory, suggesting that this IMS system can be used to detect PCE under field conditions.     

Ion characterisation by comparison of ion mobility spectrometry and mass spectrometry data

The major uncertainty related to ion mobility spectrometry is the lack of knowledge about the characteristics of the ions detected. When using a radioactive atmospheric pressure ionisation source (e.g. ⁶³Ni), from theory proton bound water clusters are expected as reactant ions. When analyte ions occur, proton transfer should lead to proton-bound monomer and dimer ions. To increase the knowledge about those ionisation processes in an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), a ß-radiation ionisation source was coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) and an identical one to an IMS. Exemplarily, acetone, limonene and 2- and 5-nonanone were introduced into both instruments in varying concentrations. By correlating the MS and IMS spectra, conclusions about the identities of the ions detected by IMS could be drawn. Proton-bound monomer, dimer and even trimer ions (MH⁺, 2MH⁺, 3MH⁺) could be observed in the MS spectra for acetone and 5-nonanone and could be assigned to the related signals detected by IMS. The oligomers could be expected from theory for increasing concentration. Limonene and 2-nonanone yielded in a variety of different ions and fragments indicating complex gas phase ion chemistry. Those findings on the obviously different behaviour of different analytes require further research focussed on the ion chemistry in IMS including the comparison of different ionisation sources.