Method and apparatus for chromatography high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry

Abstract

Method and apparatus for chromatographic high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry, including a gas chromatographic analyzer section intimately coupled with an ionization section, an ion filter section, and an ion detection section, in which the sample compounds are at least somewhat separated prior to ionization, and ion filtering proceeds in a planar chamber under influence of high field asymmetric periodic signals, with detection integrated into the flow path, for producing accurate, real-time, orthogonal data for identification of a broad range of chemical compounds.

1 . A ion mobility-based analyzer system comprising,
 a gas chromatograph for eluting portions of a sample at a plurality of retention times,   an ion source for ionizing the portions of the sample,   an ion mobility-based filter for passing selected ions through a time-varying field, the time-varying field being compensated by an adjustable compensation field,   a detector for detecting the selected ions, and   a display for displaying the detected ions in a plot relating the plurality of retention times with a plurality of compensation settings.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plot includes a first portion showing a plot including a first ion intensity signal versus a retention time. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the plot includes a second portion showing a plot including a second ion intensity signal versus a compensation setting versus the retention time. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first ion intensity signal at a particular retention time is derived, at least in part, from summing a plurality of second ion intensity signals at about the particular retention time. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first ion intensity signal at a particular retention time is determined based on a changes in a reactant ion peak level. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first portion and second portion of the plot are aligned based on the retention time. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first portion includes an elution profile from the gas chromatograph, the display correlating the elution profile of the gas chromatograph with ion intensity signal measurements from the detector. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a compensation setting includes at least one of a compensation field strength setting and compensation voltage setting. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein an ion intensity signal includes an ion current generated by the detector. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plot includes a fingerprint of a portion of the sample eluted from the gas chromatograph. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the ion mobility-based analyzer includes a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS). 
   
   
       12 . A display device for displaying sample analysis information comprising:
 a processor for processing data from at least one detector associated with an ion mobility based filter and a gas chromatograph, and   a display for displaying the processed data in a representation relating retention times associated with the gas chromatograph with compensation settings associated with the ion mobility based filter.   
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the processing includes receiving the data. 
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the data includes detection data. 
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the detection data includes at least one of ion intensity information and ion electrical signal information. 
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the representation includes a plot relating the plurality of retention times with a plurality of compensation settings. 
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the plot includes a first portion showing a plot including a first detection data versus a retention time. 
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the plot includes a second portion showing a plot including a second detection data versus a compensation setting versus the retention time. 
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the first detection data at a particular retention time is derived, at least in part, from summing a plurality of second detection data at about the particular retention time. 
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the first portion and second portion of the plot are aligned based on the retention time. 
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the first portion includes an elution profile from the gas chromatograph, the display correlating the elution profile from the gas chromatograph with second detection data from the detector. 
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein a compensation setting includes at least one of a compensation field strength setting and compensation voltage setting. 
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the processed data includes a fingerprint of a portion of the sample eluted from the gas chromatograph. 
   
   
       24 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the ion mobility based filter includes a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) filter. 
   
   
       25 . A portable sample analysis device comprising:
 a gas chromatograph for eluting portions of the sample at various retention times,   an ion source for ionizing the portions of the sample,   a chip-based differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) filter for passing through selected ion species of each portion of the sample being eluted from the gas chromatograph at the various retention times, each selected ion species corresponding to a compensation setting of the DMS filter,   a detector for detecting the selected ion species from the DMS filter and generating ion electrical signal information, and   a display for displaying a plot including the ion electrical signal information, the plot relating the various retention times associated with the gas chromatograph with compensation settings associated with the DMS filter.