Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1009-1016 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry |
| Volume | 413 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 21 Nov 2020 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2021 |
Abstract
Ion mobility spectrometers can detect gaseous compounds at atmospheric pressure in the range of parts per trillion within a second. Due to their fast response times, high sensitivity, and limited instrumental effort, they are used in a variety of applications, especially as mobile or hand-held devices. However, most real-life samples are gas mixtures, which can pose a challenge for IMS with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mainly due to competing gas-phase ionization processes. Therefore, we present a miniaturized drift tube IMS coupled to a compact gas chromatograph for pre-separation, built of seven bundled standard GC columns (Rtx-Volatiles, Restek GmbH) with 250 μm ID and 1.07 m in length. Such pre-separation significantly reduces chemical cross sensitivities caused by competing gas-phase ionization processes and adds orthogonality. Our miniaturized GC-IMS system is characterized with alcohols, halocarbons, and ketones as model substances, reaching detection limits down to 70 pptv with IMS averaging times of just 125 ms. It separates test mixtures of ketones and halocarbons within 180 s and 50 s, respectively. The IMS has a short drift length of 40.6 mm and reaches a high resolving power of RP = 68. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
Keywords
- Bundled GC columns, Gas chromatograph, GC, Hand-held GC-IMS, IMS, Ion mobility spectrometer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Biochemistry
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In: Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Vol. 413, No. 4, 02.2021, p. 1009-1016.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards a hand-held, fast, and sensitive gas chromatograph-ion mobility spectrometer for detecting volatile compounds
AU - Ahrens, André
AU - Zimmermann, Stefan
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 653409.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Ion mobility spectrometers can detect gaseous compounds at atmospheric pressure in the range of parts per trillion within a second. Due to their fast response times, high sensitivity, and limited instrumental effort, they are used in a variety of applications, especially as mobile or hand-held devices. However, most real-life samples are gas mixtures, which can pose a challenge for IMS with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mainly due to competing gas-phase ionization processes. Therefore, we present a miniaturized drift tube IMS coupled to a compact gas chromatograph for pre-separation, built of seven bundled standard GC columns (Rtx-Volatiles, Restek GmbH) with 250 μm ID and 1.07 m in length. Such pre-separation significantly reduces chemical cross sensitivities caused by competing gas-phase ionization processes and adds orthogonality. Our miniaturized GC-IMS system is characterized with alcohols, halocarbons, and ketones as model substances, reaching detection limits down to 70 pptv with IMS averaging times of just 125 ms. It separates test mixtures of ketones and halocarbons within 180 s and 50 s, respectively. The IMS has a short drift length of 40.6 mm and reaches a high resolving power of RP = 68. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
AB - Ion mobility spectrometers can detect gaseous compounds at atmospheric pressure in the range of parts per trillion within a second. Due to their fast response times, high sensitivity, and limited instrumental effort, they are used in a variety of applications, especially as mobile or hand-held devices. However, most real-life samples are gas mixtures, which can pose a challenge for IMS with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mainly due to competing gas-phase ionization processes. Therefore, we present a miniaturized drift tube IMS coupled to a compact gas chromatograph for pre-separation, built of seven bundled standard GC columns (Rtx-Volatiles, Restek GmbH) with 250 μm ID and 1.07 m in length. Such pre-separation significantly reduces chemical cross sensitivities caused by competing gas-phase ionization processes and adds orthogonality. Our miniaturized GC-IMS system is characterized with alcohols, halocarbons, and ketones as model substances, reaching detection limits down to 70 pptv with IMS averaging times of just 125 ms. It separates test mixtures of ketones and halocarbons within 180 s and 50 s, respectively. The IMS has a short drift length of 40.6 mm and reaches a high resolving power of RP = 68. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
KW - Bundled GC columns
KW - Gas chromatograph
KW - GC
KW - Hand-held GC-IMS
KW - IMS
KW - Ion mobility spectrometer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096376886&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00216-020-03059-9
DO - 10.1007/s00216-020-03059-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 33222000
AN - SCOPUS:85096376886
VL - 413
SP - 1009
EP - 1016
JO - Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
JF - Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
SN - 1618-2642
IS - 4
ER -