Portable linear ion trap mass spectrometer with compact multistage vacuum system and continuous atmospheric pressure interface

Miniature mass spectrometers and their potential for clinical point-of-care analysis

Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a powerful technique for clinical applications with high sensitivity and specificity. Different from conventional MS diagnosis in laboratory, point-of-care (POC) analyses in clinics require mass spectrometers and analytical procedures to be friendly for novice users and applicable for on-site clinical diagnosis. The recent decades have seen the progress in the development of miniature mass spectrometers, providing a promising solution for clinical POC applications. In this review, we report recent advances of miniature mass spectrometers and their exploration in clinical applications, mainly including the rapid analysis of illegal drugs, on-site monitoring of therapeutic drugs, and detection of biomarkers. With improved analytical performance, miniature mass spectrometers are also expected to apply to more and more clinical applications. Some promising POC analyses that can be performed by miniature mass spectrometers in the future are discussed. Lastly, we also provide our perspectives on the challenges in technical development of miniature mass spectrometers for clinical POC analysis.

Fourier Transform Ion Trap Mass Analysis by Deciphering Ion Ejection Signals in the Frequency Domain

Mass analysis in an ion trap is conventionally realized through time domain analysis of the ejected ion current collected from an electron multiplier (EM), in which the ion ejection time is found to have a correlation with the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio of the ion. In this study, we investigated a new method for mass analysis by examining ion ejection signals in the frequency domain. Theoretical analysis and ion trajectory simulations show that ions of the same m/z ratio are ejected from an ion trap at regular intervals, producing a periodic pulsed signal on the EM. The period of this pulsed ejection signal is directly linked to the m/z values of the ions. To realize this method experimentally, a broadband preamplifier was built and integrated on a miniature ion trap mass spectrometer (the "Brick" series from Nier Inc.) to capture this pulsed ion ejection signal collected from the EM. Experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical and simulation analyses. This method has the potential to improve the mass resolution of an ion trap mass analyzer. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, a peak width of 0.1 Da at a m/z value of 281 was achieved in experiments.

A Miniature Orthogonal Injection Ion Funnel (MO-IF) Providing Enhanced Performance for the Miniature Mass Spectrometer

The sensitivity of the miniature mass spectrometer (mini-MS) is largely restricted by the ion transmission in rough vacuum region. Even though various "in-line" ion transfer devices have improved mini-MS sensitivity, the severe dynamic gas is still weakening the efficiency of ion transmission in this region. Inspired by the "off-axis" ion funnel design in the lab-scale mass spectrometers, a miniature orthogonal injection ion funnel (MO-IF) was developed in this study for the mini-MS with a continuous atmospheric pressure interface. Capable of directing injected ions by 90° and then transport them forward to the downstream skimmer, the MO-IF enabled the separation of ions from the dynamic gas flow jetted out of the inlet capillary. The key factors were optimized for the MO-IF, including the effects of RF amplitude, DC electric fields, and the position of the repeller. Under optimized conditions, the MO-IF minimized the negative effects of dynamic gas and improved the ion transmission efficiency by ∼2-fold in comparison with the in-line injection ion funnel. As a result, a lower limit of detection of 0.5 ng/mL were obtained with good linearity for hypaconitine. Additionally, the MO-IF further decreased the buffer gas pressure in the second vacuum chamber and improved the mass resolution by 1.1-1.5 times at different scan rates.

SAM-SFM: High-Efficiency and High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry Enabled by Sinusoidal Amplitude Modulation of Multiple Sinusoidal Frequency-Modulated Waveforms

In miniature ion trap mass spectrometry, achieving a balance between isolation resolution and efficiency is a formidable challenge. The presence of absorption curves causes target ions to inadvertently absorb energy from AC signal components near their resonant frequencies. To mitigate this issue, SAM-SFM waveforms introduce a parameter known as the decreasing factor. Unlike SWIFT waveforms, SAM-SFM's spectral profile intentionally departs from a rectangular window, adopting an arch-shaped excitation window to minimize the impact on target ions and improve ion isolation efficiency. SAM-SFM waveforms have the advantage of low computational complexity, enabling real-time computation using an embedded FPGA technology. Regardless of any parameter changes, the FPGA can consistently guarantee waveform output within 1 μs. This not only enhances throughput but also eliminates the need for a PC in miniature mass spectrometry devices. The performance of SAM-SFM has been validated on an improved "Brick" miniature ion trap mass spectrometer. Comparative experiments with SWIFT waveforms confirm the lossless unit-mass isolation capabilities of SAM-SFM. This waveform has the capability to simultaneously isolate multiple target ions, even allowing for the lossless isolation of ions with lower abundance within isotopic clusters, albeit at the cost of requiring extended isolation durations.

A high resolution Fourier transform ion trap enabled by image current splicing: a theoretical study

The relatively high work pressure within an ion trap has limited the implementation of the Fourier transform technique for high resolution mass analysis. The main reason is that high buffer gas pressure will cause the rapid decay of ion oscillations. In this study, an image current splicing method based on the filter diagonalization method (FDM) and the Hilbert transform was developed to increase the resolving power of nondestructive mass analysis in a linear ion trap. First, multiple repeated experiments (or ion trajectory simulations) were performed to collect multiple sets of data. Using the FDM, the frequency component distribution was extracted from short image current transients collected from each experiment. The Hilbert transform was then applied to calculate and normalize the decay envelope of each transient. The relative abundance was calculated by counting the envelopes. Finally, image current transients collected from these multiple experiments were spliced and merged into a whole signal with much longer duration and continuous phase. This splicing method could effectively increase the duration of the image current, and thus improve the mass resolution of the ion trap mass analyzer. The mass resolution (m/Δm) was improved from 183.5 to 5.8 × 10³, and the average relative difference was 2.8%. The proposed method resolved 3 adjacent peaks which originally could not be resolved from the raw signal by the fast Fourier transform (FFT). Besides simulated data, this method was also applied to the experimental data collected from a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The influence of electronic noise on the proposed method was also discussed in this study.

Development and application of a miniature mass spectrometer with continuous sub-atmospheric pressure interface and integrated ionization source

For the miniature mass spectrometer (MS) with a continuous atmospheric pressure interface (CAPI), the gas in the multi-stage chambers directly affects the performance of the instrument. In this study, a sealed ionization chamber is designed to couple with a conventional mini CAPI-MS. In this configuration, the gas environment in the first ionization chamber can be flexibly changed to regulate the gas conditions throughout the entire instrument. By studying the effect of gas pressure on the performance of the instrument, we found that the instrument shows some unique advantages when the first ionization chamber is under sub-atmospheric pressure (SAP) conditions, such as reducing the load of the vacuum pump by 40%, achieving pump-free injection for gas and liquid samples, and improving the resolution by a factor of 2 without loss of detection sensitivity. Therefore, we propose a new integrated interface called continuous sub-atmospheric pressure interface (CSAPI) for building a miniature ion trap mass spectrometer. The CSAPI specially integrates sample introduction, gas/ions interface, and ionizations, including electrospray ionization (ESI) and secondary electrospray ionization (SESI), making this system more convenient for non-professional handlers to rapidly identify or monitor target analytes in gaseous- and solution-phase samples. We also use this system to study gas composition to further improve performance, being able to achieve a 5-fold sensitivity and 2-fold resolution improvement. At last, some custom applications of the current CSAPI-MS platform are explored and demonstrated, including real-time monitoring of chemical reactions in solution and long-distance sampling and analysis of dried Chinese herbs. In conclusion, this study provides a new approach to constructing a complete, versatile and practical miniature MS instrument.

Field-Gradient-Focusing Ion Guide for Enhanced Transfer Efficiency of Low-Mass Ions

Efficient transmission of low-mass ions in a rough vacuum pressure region has always been a challenging issue in mass spectrometry (MS). In this study, a novel ion guide, namely, field-gradient-focusing ion guide (FGF-IG), was proposed to improve the transfer efficiency of ions, especially low-mass ions in a rough vacuum region. The FGF-IG has 12 electrodes whose surfaces gradually narrowed and tilted inward, and its electric field gradually varies from dodecapole (or multipole) to quadrupole along the ion transfer route. The field radius was gradually decreased from 6 to 2 mm in the multipole region (65 mm in length) and finally remained unchanged as 2 mm in the quadrupole region (20 mm in length). By integrating into a miniature mass spectrometer (mini-MS) with a continuous atmospheric pressure interface, this ion guide was optimized in terms of inlet capillary position, radio frequency amplitude, and direct current voltage applied on it. Results showed that a reduced low-mass discrimination effect and improved efficiency of simultaneously transferring mid and low m/z ions were achieved for FGF-IG compared with a conventional ion funnel. Under optimized conditions, a limit of detection of 1 ng/mL was obtained for both reserpine (m/z 609) and arginine (m/z 175) ions by integrating FGF-IG into the mini-MS. The sensitivity of smaller arginine ions using FGF-IG was enhanced by ∼10 times than that obtained using the conventional ion funnel (10 ng/mL) in comparative experiments. The idea of smooth transfer from dodecapole to quadrupole fields could be extended to other multipole fields, as well as in lab-scale MS instruments.

Portable mass spectrometry system: instrumentation, applications, and path to 'omics analysis

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an information rich analytical technique and plays a key role in various 'omics studies. Standard mass spectrometers are bulky and operate at high vacuum, which hinder their adoption by the broader community and utility in field applications. Developing portable mass spectrometers can significantly expand the application scope and user groups of MS analysis. This review discusses the basics and recent advancements in the development of key components of portable mass spectrometers including ionization source, mass analyzer, detector, and vacuum system. Further, major areas where portable mass spectrometers are applied are also discussed. Finally, a perspective on the further development of portable mass spectrometers including the potential benefits for 'omics analysis is provided.

High-performance miniature linear time-of-flight mass spectrometry as an advantageous tool in a high mass-to-charge range

A newly developed miniature MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer provides superior performance in a high m/z range.

Portable particle mass spectrometer

In situ and real-time analysis of airborne particulate matter mass distributions using portable particle mass spectrometer.

Enabling Isotope Ratio Measurements on an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer

For portable, remotely operated systems in space and defense, relaxed vacuum requirements are a strong advantage of ion trap mass analyzers. However, ion traps are believed to have insufficient capability for isotope ratio measurement because they fundamentally restrict sampling capacity. Focusing on modifications to the detection sequence of a digitally driven 3D quadrupole ion trap, operating in resonance ejection mode, we investigated improved performance for isotope ratio precision and accuracy. Due to xenon's inert nature and wide span of isotopes, xenon isotope ratios provide an excellent marker of processes (e.g. radioactive decay and planetary atmospheric escape) which would be ideally measured by in situ mass spectrometry. To target xenon isotope ratio analysis specifically, we implemented data acquisition system modifications for enhanced y-axis resolution measurements and signal filtering. In this manner, we show measurement precision improvements from ~±100 0/00 to ~±0.1 0/00 and accuracy improvements from ~30 0/00 to ~0.5 0/00 for our targeted isotopes of interest.

A portable multiple ionization source biological mass spectrometer

In the past, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI), used for large biomolecule detection, were usually installed in two separate mass spectrometers. In this study, they were equipped in the same mass spectrometer. This portable biological mass spectrometer has multiple ionization capabilities in the same mass spectrometer and shares the same mass analyzer and detector. This mass spectrometer can be operated under low vacuum (∼10-3 Torr) and can use air as the buffer gas. Therefore, the demand for pumping is reduced and rare gas feeding is no longer essential. A small scroll pump, employed to assist a miniature turbo pump, is sufficient to maintain the operational pressure. The mass spectra of biomolecules were obtained using frequency scanning instead of voltage ramping. Therefore, a wider mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) range was achieved. Furthermore, the design also couples a conversion dynode with a channeltron to enhance the mass detection range. This homemade mass spectrometer has the capability to measure charged particles with very large m/z values (m/z > 100 000). The concentrations of the studied compounds (angiotensin, insulin, cytochrome C, bovine serum albumin (BSA), immunoglobulin G, and immunoglobulin A) are from 5 femtomole to 100 picomole, and the mass resolutions are from 30 to 260. The mass range of this portable mass spectrometer was comparable with a commercial linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer owing to the use of the frequency scan.

Simulation of unidirectional ion ejection in linear ion traps with asymmetric radiofrequency voltage

RATIONALE

Linear ion traps with simplified structure have been widely used in miniaturized mass spectrometers. However, linear ion traps usually have low ion detection efficiency when used in a miniaturized mass spectrometer, in which only one ion detector can be installed. To solve this problem, an asymmetric radiofrequency (RF) voltage was applied to introduce asymmetric electric fields in the trapping volume of linear ion traps, which would lead to unidirectional ion ejection.

METHODS

An asymmetric RF voltage was applied on both half-round-rod electrode and triangular electrode linear ion traps, and their performances including unidirectional ion ejection efficiency and mass resolution were evaluated using computer simulation. The relationship between asymmetric RF voltage difference δ and internal electric field distribution was investigated, and the impact of δ and resonance excitation signal frequency on the unidirectional ion ejection efficiency and mass resolution was also explored.

RESULTS

A unidirectional ion ejection efficiency of around 83% and a mass resolution of over 2700 were achieved with δ = 7% in both half-round-rod electrode and triangular electrode linear ion traps.

CONCLUSIONS

By applying an asymmetric RF voltage, the ion detection efficiency could be significantly improved without any change to the structures of existing linear ion traps. This method provides a simple and general solution for improving the ion detection efficiency and sensitivity of miniaturized linear ion trap mass spectrometers.

Autarkic desorption electrospray ionization source for on-site analysis of consumer goods

A battery-powered DESI source with integrated solvent/gas supply and novel sampling geometry is presented for daily-goods analysis.