Recent Advances in Instrumental Approaches to Time‐of‐flight Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) is one of the simplest and most powerful approaches for mass spectrometry. Realization of the advantages inherent in TOFMS requires innovation in the theory and practice of the technique. Instrumental developments, in turn, create new capabilities that enable applications in chemical measurement. This review focuses on the recent advances in TOFMS instrumentation. New strategies for ion acceleration, multiplexed detection, miniaturized TOFMS instruments, approaches to extend the length of ion flight, and novel ion detection technologies are reviewed. Techniques that change the basic paradigm of TOFMS by measuring m/z based on ion flight distance are considered, as are applications at the frontiers of instrumental performance.

Food metabolomics: Latest hardware—developments for nontargeted food authenticity and food safety testing

“…Recent advances in TOF analyzers concern the optimization of ion acceleration, the use of multiplexing techniques, and the extension of ion trajectories through multiple reflectrons or multiple turn designs, which also allow for more compact instrument configurations up to portable MS instruments [148]. In addition to hybrid Orbitrap instruments with two mass analyzers (e.g., quadrupole and Orbitrap or ion trap and Orbitrap), a tribrid configuration with three mass analyzers, consisting of quadrupole, ion trap, and Orbitrap, has also recently become available.…”

Differentiation of Four Polyvinylidene Fluoride Polymers Based on Their End Groups by DART-FT-ICR MS and Kendrick Plots

“…Polymer analysis can be carried out by mass spectrometry to identify the repeat unit(s), end groups, additives, and synthesis residues. MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization) − and ESI (electrospray ionization) , are the most used ionization sources for the investigation of synthetic polymers and ensure the observation of heavy ions at high m / z values in MALDI or multicharged species in ESI. , This study is focused on the analysis of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymers, a fluoropolymer of C 2 H 2 F 2 repeat unit, which is known to be used in chemicals processing equipment and engineering. , PVDF were successfully analyzed by MALDI and ESI, but time-consuming sample preparation steps are often required . One of these steps is the dissolution of polymers in an appropriate solvent and mixing with a matrix for MALDI.…”

Genetic algorithm parallel optimization of a new high mass resolution planar electrostatic ion trap mass analyzer

“…Currently, TOF mass analyzers have been developed and widely used in modern mass spectrometry due to their high mass resolving power (directly proportional to their total flight path length). 5 To achieve super high resolution, multi-pass TOF MSs have been developed, such as the multi-reflection TOF MS (MR-TOF MS) 6 and the multi-turn TOF MS (MT-TOF MS). 7 However, the performance of such TOF mass analyzers is limited by many aspects, such as high time aberrations of electrostatic sectors, narrow mass ranges in looped schemes, and ion losses due to ion packet divergence.…”