Portable FAIMS: Applications and future perspectives

• Published in: International journal of mass spectrometry 2017-11, Vol.422, p.188-196
• Main Authors: Costanzo, Michael T., Boock, Jared J., Kemperman, Robin H.J., Wei, Michael S., Beekman, Christopher R., Yost, Richard A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical; DMS; Environmental; FAIMS; Law enforcement; Portable
• ISSN: 1387-3806; 1873-2798
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijms.2016.12.007

[Display omitted] •Experimental data and future perspectives are presented for portable FAIMS.•FAIMS should provide a useful compliment to mini-MS.•FAIMS is relatively simple, small scale, inexpensive, and affords rapid analysis.•FAIMS standalone or coupled to MS offers method development/compound ID/validation.•Potential in range of applications; e.g., police, environmental, and biomedical. Miniaturized mass spectrometry (MMS) is optimal for a wide variety of applications that benefit from field-portable instrumentation. Like MMS, field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) has proven capable of providing in situ analysis, allowing researchers to bring the lab to the sample. FAIMS compliments MMS very well, but has the added benefit of operating at atmospheric pressure, unlike MS. This distinct advantage makes FAIMS uniquely suited for portability. Since its inception, FAIMS has been envisioned as a field-portable device, as it affords less expense and greater simplicity than many similar methods Ideally, these are simple, robust devices that may be operated by non-professional personnel, yet still provide adequate data when in the field. While reducing the size and complexity tends to bring with it a loss of performance and accuracy, this is made up for by the incredibly high throughput and overall convenience of the instrument. Moreover, the FAIMS device used in the field can be brought back to the lab, and coupled to a conventional mass spectrometer to provide any necessary method development and compound validation. This work discusses the various considerations, uses, and applications for portable FAIMS instrumentation, and how the future of each applicable field may benefit from the development and acceptance of such a device.