Design and performance of a dual stage asymmetric ion funnel interface

Abstract

A dual-stage asymmetric ion funnel (DAIF) interface has been designed to remove the bottleneck in ion transmission from atmospheric ionization to the vacuum chamber. This leads to increased sensitivity and improved performance of the mass spectrometer. Both ion funnels are asymmetrically constructed, with a precisely calculated 7 mm radial offset in the ion path. This accelerates the separation of ions from the neutral stream, reduces contamination, and enhances the flow field and vacuum system. The performance of the DAIF interface was investigated through numerical simulations and experimental tests, utilizing the Hexin API-5000 TOFMS as our experimental platform. The results indicate that the asymmetric ion funnel has a powerful desolvation capability, achieving a high transmission efficiency of 87.9%. The novel DAIF interface enhances sensitivity by an order of magnitude. In addition, the robustness of the instrument can be improved by efficiently removing neutral molecules and contaminants from the DAIF. These features make DAIF suitable for various MS systems and ionizations.