Trace analysis by ion mobility spectrometry: From conventional to smart sample preconcentration methods. A review

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a rapid, sensitive technique valuable in security and forensics.
• A key limitation of IMS is its poor selectivity for complex sample matrices, hindering accurate analysis.
• Enhancing IMS selectivity and sensitivity is crucial for expanding its application scope.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review the literature on smart materials for sample pretreatment in IMS.
• To discuss strategies for improving IMS selectivity and sensitivity using advanced materials.
• To highlight the trend towards integrated selective sample treatments for complex sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of smart materials (immunosorbents, aptamers, MIPs, ILs, nanomaterials) for IMS sample preparation.
• Analysis of strategies to enhance selectivity and sensitivity in IMS determinations.
• Discussion of integrated analytical methods combining selective pretreatment with IMS.

Main Results:

• Smart materials offer promising solutions for overcoming IMS selectivity limitations.
• Various smart materials, including MIPs, aptamers, and nanomaterials, can effectively preconcentrate and purify analytes.
• Combining selective sample treatments with IMS leads to improved analytical performance.

Conclusions:

• Smart materials are essential for advancing IMS capabilities in complex sample analysis.
• Integrated approaches using selective sample pretreatment and IMS enable sensitive and selective determinations.
• Future IMS methods will likely rely heavily on smart material-based sample preparation for diverse applications.