Enhanced Resolving Power by Moving Field Ion Mobility Spectrometry
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−
Published on: July 27, 2018
Alexander Bohnhorst1, Moritz Hitzemann1, Martin Lippmann1
1Institute of Electrical Engineering and Measurement Technology, Department of Sensors and Measurement Technology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Appelstrasse 9A, 30167 Hannover, Germany.
Abstract:
Ion mobility spectrometry is a powerful detection method widely used in various applications. Particularly in field applications, ion mobility spectrometers (IMSs) are useful because of their extremely low detection limits at short measuring periods and their compact and robust design. However, especially small IMSs suffer from the consequences of low resolving power when compared to laboratory systems. Therefore, in this paper, we present a new approach to increase the resolving power of a drift time IMS without employing higher drift voltages and bulky power supplies. The so-called moving field IMS (MOF-IMS) presented here allows a more effective use of the available voltage because of a segmented drift region where only a small part is supplied with voltage. Even with the basic version of an MOF-IMS presented here, it was possible to increase the resolving power by 60% from 60 to 95 without increasing the required drift voltage.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Analyzers: Overview
NMR Spectrometers: Resolution and Error Correction
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Mass Analyzers: Common Types
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
Chromatographic Resolution
The effectiveness of separation can be evaluated by determining the level of separation between two neighboring peaks in a chromatogram, which represents the individual components of a sample.
In chromatography,...

