High Pressure HiKE-IMS (HiP-HiKE-IMS)

The above described HiKE-IMS is a powerful device for detecting low electron and proton affine substances invisible for conventional IMS. Typical cross sensitivities to e.g. water are significantly reduced and additional separation by alpha-function improves compound identification. By increasing the operating pressure, the system can be miniaturized, the power consumption reduced and the limits of detection significantly improved. Therefore, in this project, we develop optimized drift tubes based on PCBs, which are able to maintain high reduced field strengths at significantly increased pressures. Such a PCB-HiKE-IMS can be operated at 60 mbar with detections limits in the low ppb_v level, e.g. for benzene even in the presence of high toluene and water concentrations. The resolving power for benzene is R = 100 at a drift length of 15 cm. The used vacuum pump is just 194 x 115 x 77 mm³.