Apparatus and methods for ion mobility spectrometry
AssigneeThermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH
InventorAlexander A. Makarov
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Abstract
There is provided of an on mobility spectrometer for separating ions according to their on mobility comprising, in various aspects: a drift tube having therein a drift space and in the drift space at least two on separation paths of different lengths: a straight drift tube having therein a helical ion separation path; a helical on separation path surrounding an axially extending inner electrode assembly; and a drift tube for separating ions according to their ion mobility wherein a rotating arcuate electric field is applied in operation to separate ions having an ion mobility such that their rotational velocity in the drift tube is matched to the rotational velocity of the rotating arcuate electric field. Various methods for separating ions according to their on mobility are also provided.
Claims24
An ion mobility spectrometer for separating ions according to their ion mobility comprising a drift tube having therein a drift space and in the drift space at least two ion separation paths of different lengths, wherein the at least two ion separation paths comprise a first ion separation path which is straight and a second ion separation path which is helical.
A method of separating ions according to their on mobility comprising:
- providing a drift tube having therein a drift space and in the drift space at least two ion separation paths of different lengths;
- selecting one of the on separation paths for ions to follow;
- and
- causing ions to follow the selected on separation path and separating the ions along the selected ion separation path according to their ion mobility, wherein one of the separation paths is helical and the ions are guided on the helical path by a helical potential barrier and the ions are radially confined in the drift tube in use by applying an RF field in the drift tube in combination with radial DC field.
An ion mobility spectrometer for separating ions according to their ion mobility, having electric field generation means being switchable between conditions to provide in a first condition a separating electric field substantially aligned with a first separation path of a first length and in a second condition a different separating electric field substantially aligned with a second separation path of a second length different to the first length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.