Determination of Conditions for a Portable Ion Mobility Spectrometer
Project Abstract
Ion mobility Spectrometry (IMS) separates ions via differences in gas phase mobility. In one form of this separation method called trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS), analyte ions enter a drift region and are pushed by a gas flow while being opposed by an electric field, effectively trapping the ions. Changing the electric field allows ion elution and detection. These instruments are capable of high resolution due to prolonged gas phase interactions caused by trapping and gradual elution. Typically, resolution is improved in IMS instruments through an increase in drift region length to yield more drift gas interactions. TIMS can increase resolution by solely changing the rate of ion elution, making this method a likely target for high resolution, compact IMS designs. This research aims to explore conditions with which a portable TIMS could exist and its feasibility. A potential drift region and electrode design was evaluated using both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and SIMION software. Gas flows and pressure conditions were determined with CFD. SIMION software was then used to simulate ion trajectories through the electrode design while accounting for the gas pressure and flow conditions found by CFD. The results suggest that a portable TIMS with equivalent resolution to traditional designs is feasible.
Conference
American Chemical Society 2025 Spring Conference
Funding Type
Travel Grant
Academic College
Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Area/Major/Minor
Chemistry
Degree
Chemistry
Classification
Senior
Name
Caleb Morris, PhD
Academic College
Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Recommended Citation
Patterson, Riley and Morris, Caleb, "Determination of Conditions for a Portable Ion Mobility Spectrometer" (2025). ORCA Travel & Research Grants. 181.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/orcagrants/181
