On-Site Analysis Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has become one of the most interesting on-site methods during the last years. This trend is mainly caused by typical advantages of this technique that offers high sensitivity, instrumental simplicity, low cost, analytical flexibility, and real time monitoring capability [1]. Small hand-held and easy-to-use instruments are available on the market. However, the application of ion mobility spectrometers for on-site analyses requires miniaturized, simple and fast sample preparation techniques as well. In addition, most of the samples like old deposited wastes which have to be analyzed on site consist of complex mixtures. Due to the complex reaction mechanisms known for s or photo ionization, the evaluation of IMS spectra of mixtures is complicated or impossible in many cases. For this reason special attention has to be paid to the coupling of IMS with gas chromatography or other separation methods. The GC/IMS coupling leads to a significant increase of applications of ion mobility spectrometry especially in the case of on-site analyses. Not least on-site methods require a flexible spectrometer and a data processing software.