Miniaturized high-performance drift tube ion mobility spectrometer

André Ahrens,Stefan Zimmermann,Moritz Hitzemann

doi:10.1007/s12127-019-00248-w

André Ahrens, Stefan Zimmermann + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12127-019-00248-w

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Abstract

Developing powerful hand-held drift tube ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) requires small, lightweight drift tubes with high analytical performance. In this work, we present an easy-to-manufacture, miniaturized drift tube ion mobility spectrometer, which is manufactured from polyether ether ketone, stainless steel foils and printed circuit boards. It is possible to operate the drift tube IMS with a radioactive 3H ionization source or a non-radioactive X-ray ionization source with 3 kV acceleration voltage. The drift tube design provides high resolving power of Rp = 63 at a drift length of just 40 mm, 15 mm × 15 mm in cross-section (outer dimensions) and a drift voltage of 2.5 kV. The limits of detection for less than one second of averaging are 40 pptv for dimethyl-methylphosphonate and 30 pptv for methyl salicylate. For demonstration, the miniaturized drift tube IMS is integrated into a stand-alone battery-powered mobile device, including a closed gas-loop, high performance driver electronics and wireless data transmission. In a proof-of-concept study, this device was tested in an international field evaluation exercise to detect the release of a volatile, hazardous substance inside a large entry hall.

Highlights

During the past decades, ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) have been established in various kinds of applications [1,2,3,4], while safety and security application still make up the largest share
The key challenge of miniaturization is to maintain the analytical performance of the IMS, which strongly depends on the geometrical dimensions of the drift tube [10, 12]
We show a drift tube design, which is suitable for low cost and portable applications while maintaining the resolving power of laboratory-grade systems

Summary

Introduction

Ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) have been established in various kinds of applications [1,2,3,4], while safety and security application still make up the largest share. Keywords Miniaturized drift tube ion mobility spectrometer . After being injected into the drift region, ions move along the axis of the drift tube driven by a homogeneous electrical field.

Results

Conclusion