Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 5, 2026

Using a Cyclic Ion Mobility Spectrometer for Tandem Ion Mobility Experiments
Published on: January 20, 2022
Serpentine Ultralong Path with Extended Routing (SUPER) High Resolution Traveling Wave Ion Mobility-MS using
Liulin Deng1, Ian K Webb1, Sandilya V B Garimella1
1Biological Sciences Division, Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, MSIN K8-98, Richland, Washington 99352, United States.
Abstract:
Ion mobility (IM) separations have a broad range of analytical applications, but insufficient resolution often limits their utility. Here, we report on ion mobility separations in a structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM) serpentine ultralong path with extended routing (SUPER) traveling wave (TW) ion mobility (IM) module in conjunction with mass spectrometry (MS). Ions were confined in the SLIM by rf fields in conjunction with a DC guard bias, enabling essentially lossless TW transmission over greatly extended paths. The extended routing utilized multiple passes (e.g., ∼1094 m over 81 passes through the 13.5 m serpentine path) and was facilitated by the introduction of a lossless ion switch that allowed ions to be directed to either the MS detector or for another pass through the serpentine separation region, allowing theoretically unlimited IM path lengths. The multipass SUPER IM-MS provided resolution approximately proportional to the square root of the number of passes (or total path length). More than 30-fold higher IM resolution (∼340 vs ∼10) for Agilent tuning mix m/z 622 and 922 ions was achieved for 40 passes compared to commercially available drift tube IM and other TWIM-based platforms. An initial evaluation of the isomeric sugars lacto-N-hexaose and lacto-N-neohexaose showed the isomeric structures to be baseline resolved, and a new conformational feature for lacto-N-neohexaose was revealed after 9 passes. The new SLIM SUPER high resolution TWIM platform has broad utility in conjunction with MS and is expected to enable a broad range of previously challenging or intractable separations.
More Related Videos
08:56Detection of Regulated Ergot Alkaloids in Food Matrices by Liquid Chromatography-Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Published on: November 22, 2024
10:47Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization IR-MALDESI
Published on: March 24, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
Mass Spectrum: Interpretation
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Mass Spectrometers