Mobility-Resolved Ion Selection in Uniform Drift Field Ion Mobility Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry: Dynamic Switching in Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations

A Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM) module that allows ion mobility separations and the switching of ions between alternative drift paths is described. The SLIM switch component has a Tee configuration and allows the efficient switching of ions between a linear path and a 90-degree bend. By controlling switching times, ions can be efficiently directed to an alternative channel as a function of their mobilities. In the initial evaluation the switch is used in a static mode and shown compatible with high performance ion mobility separations at 4 Torr. In the dynamic mode, we show that mobility-selected ions can be switched into the alternative channel, and that various ion species can be independently selected based on their mobilities for time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) IMS detection and mass analysis. This development also provides the basis of, for example, the selection of specific mobilities for storage and accumulation, and the key component of modules for the assembly of SLIM devices enabling much more complex sequences of ion manipulations.