Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents with a Miniaturized High-Performance Drift Tube Ion Mobility Spectrometer Using High-Energetic Photons for Ionization

Abstract

A growing demand for low-cost gas sensors capable of detecting the smallest amounts of highly toxic substances in air, including chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), has emerged in recent years. Ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) are particularly suitable for this application due to their high sensitivity and fast response times. In view of the preferred mobile use of such devices, miniaturized ion drift tubes are required as the core of IMS-based lightweight, low-cost, hand-held gas detectors. Thus, we evaluate the suitability of a miniaturized ion mobility spectrometer featuring an ion drift tube length of just 40 mm and a high resolving power of R p = 60 for the detection of various CWAs, such as nerve agents sarin (GB), tabun (GA), soman (GD), and cyclosarin (GF), as well as the blister agent sulfur mustard (HD), the blood agent hydrogen cyanide (AC) and the choking agent chlorine (CL). We report on the limits of detection reaching minimum concentration levels of, for instance, 29 pptv for sarin (GB) within an averaging time of only 1 s. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of precursors, simulants, and other common interfering substances on false positive alarms.

How to Improve the Resolving Power of Compact Electrospray Ionization Ion Mobility Spectrometers

“…Recently, ion mobility spectrometers (IMSs) have evolved from a detector for chemical warfare agents − and explosives to a widely used instrument for analytical, − medical, , and bioanalytical applications. − The accompanying increasing complexity of measurement tasks demands ever-higher analytical performance. Especially with electrospray ionization, high resolving power is required to separate, for example, protonated ions from their sodium adducts. − …”

Electrostatic assemblies of molecularly imprinted polymers on the surface of electrospun nanofiber membranes for the point-of-care detection of thiodiglycol, a sulfur mustard poisoning metabolic marker

“…Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are extremely toxic chemicals designed for conventional war and terrorist attacks, which can lead to public health concerns and cause casualties. [1][2][3][4] Sulfur mustard (SM) is the most representative substance among all the CWAs, and can cause skin erosions, eye injuries, blindness, and other symptoms, and can even lead to death due to exhaustion of the respiratory system. [5][6][7][8] Because it is extremely stable, hard to be decomposed, lacks an antidote, and can be synthesized easily, it represents a serious threat to people's health and even life.…”

High-performance metal-oxide gas sensors based on hierarchical core–shell ZnFe2O4 microspheres for detecting 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide

“…Current techniques for detecting chemical agents and their simulants include ion mobility spectroscopy, 8 mass spectrometry, 9 laser telemetry, 10 infrared telemetry, 11 surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, 12 surface acoustic wave sensors, 13 and metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS). 14 Among these techniques, MOS gas sensors have been extensively studied and applied owing to their low fabrication cost, convenient operation, compatibility with silicon technology, and miniaturization capability.…”