An analytical model for the optimum drift voltage of drift tube ion mobility spectrometers with respect to resolving power and detection limits

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Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)129-135
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry
Volume18
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jun 2015

Abstract

One of the key experimental parameters of measurements using a drift tube ion mobility spectrometer is the drift voltage applied across its length, as it governs a multitude of processes during the ion drift. While the effect of the drift voltage on the resolving power has already been well-described, only little attention has been paid so far to developing an equally sophisticated model for the effect on the limits of detection. In this work, we extend our previous model for the resolving power and signal-to-noise-ratio of a drift tube ion mobility spectrometer operated at the resolving power optimal drift voltage to arbitrary drift voltages. It is shown that the deviation from this operating point can be completely described for any drift tube by using only the dimensionless factor β, which is defined as the ratio between the applied drift voltage and the resolving power optimal drift voltage. From these general equations, it can be shown that the signal-to-noise-ratio and therefore the limits of detection vary much more significantly with changing drift voltage than the resolving power. Thus, it is possible to apply a higher than resolving power optimal drift voltage to lower the limits of detection with only a slight loss of resolving power. E.g., a 47.5 % higher drift voltage is able to halve the limits of detection, but yields only 8 % resolving power loss.

Keywords

    Detection limits, Drift tube, Drift voltage, Ion mobility spectrometry, Resolving power

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An analytical model for the optimum drift voltage of drift tube ion mobility spectrometers with respect to resolving power and detection limits. / Kirk, Ansgar T.; Zimmermann, Stefan.
In: International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry, Vol. 18, No. 3, 13.06.2015, p. 129-135.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Kirk AT, Zimmermann S. An analytical model for the optimum drift voltage of drift tube ion mobility spectrometers with respect to resolving power and detection limits. International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry. 2015 Jun 13;18(3):129-135. doi: 10.15488/4406, 10.1007/s12127-015-0176-x
Kirk, Ansgar T. ; Zimmermann, Stefan. / An analytical model for the optimum drift voltage of drift tube ion mobility spectrometers with respect to resolving power and detection limits. In: International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry. 2015 ; Vol. 18, No. 3. pp. 129-135.
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