Open AccessIon Mobility Spectrometry with High Ion Utilization Efficiency Using Traveling Wave-Based Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations
Author(s) -
Ailin Li,
Gabe Nagy,
Christopher Conant,
Randolph V. Norheim,
JoonYong Lee,
Cameron M. Giberson,
Adam Hollerbach,
Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran,
Isaac K. Attah,
Christopher D. Chouinard,
Aneesh Prabhakaran,
Richard Smith,
Yehia Ibrahim,
Sandilya Garimella
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
analytical chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.117
H-Index - 332
eISSN - 1520-6882
pISSN - 0003-2700
DOI - 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c02100
Subject(s) - chemistry , ion , ion mobility spectrometry , mass spectrometry , electrospray ionization , ion source , ion trap , analytical chemistry (journal) , ionization , chromatography , organic chemistry
Ion packets introduced from gates, ion funnel traps, and other conventional ion injection mechanisms produce ion pulse widths typically around a few microseconds or less for ion mobility spectrometry (IMS)-based separations on the order of 100 milliseconds. When such ion injection techniques are coupled with ultralong path length traveling wave (TW)-based IMS separations (i.e., on the order of seconds) using structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIMs), typically very low ion utilization efficiency is achieved for continuous ion sources [e.g., electrospray ionization (ESI)]. Even with the ability to trap and accumulate much larger populations of ions than being conventionally feasible over longer time periods in SLIM devices, the subsequent long separations lead to overall low ion utilization. Here, we report the use of a highly flexible SLIM arrangement, enabling concurrent ion accumulation and separation and achieving near-complete ion utilization with ESI. We characterize the ion accumulation process in SLIM, demonstrate >98% ion utilization, and show both increased signal intensities and measurement throughput. This approach is envisioned to have broad utility to applications, for example, involving the fast detection of trace chemical species.