Investigating Sensitivity Improvements on the Ultivo TQ using 3D-printed Atmospheric Pressure ion Focusing Devices

While the introduction of atmospheric pressure ion sources, such as electrospray ionization, revolutionized the field of mass spectrometry it also introduced new instrumental compilations not often considered in modern instrumentation. In most instruments, the amount of ions sampled by the mass spectrometer from the electrospray source is on the order of a few percent. Furthermore, the motion of charged species in vacuum is well understood, yet there remain many unresolved questions about the behavior of microdroplets and ions at atmospheric pressure. Recent observations have shown that ions and charged droplets produced via electrospray ionization can be focused to spot sizes of < 1 mm using only DC electric fields under ambient conditions. In this work, fundamental studies on the focusing and transmission of ions at atmospheric pressure are presented. Work using the Agilent Ultivo triple quadrupole coupled to a 3D printed focusing device reveals mobility dependent sensitivity improvements for a wide range of ions on a miniaturized platform. Additional applications of ion focusing will also be discussed.