Issue 23, 2018

Portable combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential mobility spectrometry for advanced vapor phase analysis

Abstract

Designing mobile devices for the analysis of complex sample mixtures containing a variety of analytes at different concentrations across a large dynamic range remains a challenging task in many analytical scenarios. To meet this challenge, a compact hybrid analytical platform has been developed combining Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy based on substrate-integrated hollow waveguides (iHWG-FTIR) with gas chromatography coupled differential mobility spectrometry (GC-DMS). Due to the complementarity of these techniques regarding analyte type and concentration, their combination provides a promising tool for the detection of complex samples containing a broad range of molecules at different concentrations. To date, the combination of infrared spectroscopy and ion mobility techniques remains expensive and bound to a laboratory utilizing e.g. IMS as prefilter or IR as ionization source. In the present study, a cost-efficient and portable solution has been developed and characterized representing the first truly hyphenated IR-DMS system. As a model analyte mixture, 5 ppm isopropylmercaptan (IPM) in methane (CH4) were diluted, and the concentration-dependent DMS signal of IPM along with the concentration-dependent IR signal of CH4 were recorded for all three hybrid IR-DMS systems. While guiding the sample through the iHWG-FTIR or the GC-DMS first did not affect the obtained signals, optimizing the IR data acquisition parameters did benefit the analytical results.

Graphical abstract: Portable combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential mobility spectrometry for advanced vapor phase analysis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Jun 2018
Accepted
06 Sep 2018
First published
12 Sep 2018

Analyst, 2018,143, 5683-5691

Author version available

Portable combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential mobility spectrometry for advanced vapor phase analysis

L. T. Hagemann, M. M. McCartney, A. G. Fung, D. J. Peirano, C. E. Davis and B. Mizaikoff, Analyst, 2018, 143, 5683 DOI: 10.1039/C8AN01192C

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