title: Resolution enhancement of ion mobility spectrometry by improving the three-zone properties of the Bradbury-Nielsen gate.
abstract: A simple space compression-dispersion model for ion transport at ambient pressure was mathematically established. On the basis of this model and aided by SIMION simulation, a three-zone theory was proposed to characterize the Bradbury-Nielsen gating electric field features as three zones: the depletion zone, the dispersion zone, and the compression zone. Then, the influences of gating voltage difference increases on the full width at half-maximum of the Cl(-) peak were investigated in detail to verify the theory. For example, at a gating voltage difference of 350 V and a gate pulse width of 0.34 ms, the ion packets injected were reduced to as low as 60% of their original widths, with the peak height increased from 756 to 808 pA and the resolution from 18 to 33, enhanced by 7% and ~80%, respectively. The ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) efficiency ratios, R(m)/R(c) and R(m)/R(p), were also raised above theoretical values and reached about 182% and 175%, respectively. The experimental results were explained using the proposed theory with good consistency. Finally, a compression coefficient was extracted by fitting the experimental data to the applied gate pulse width, presenting a good linearity. All this shows a potential application in improving the performances of ion mobility spectrometry.
authors.affiliation: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yongzhai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haiyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002712:Chlorides / Q000737:chemistry; D004560:Electricity; D017136:Ion Transport; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011312:Pressure; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D007477:Ions