Development of a SIMION-Simulated Ion Funnel Tube for Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry

Because the optimum working pressure of ion funnel (IF) is very close to the typical operating pressure of a traditional drift tube for proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), it is possible to develop an IF drift tube for PTR-MS to improve the sensitivity. In this study, an ion funnel capable of functioning as a drift tube in a PTR-MS system was designed and studied by computer simulation. To optimize the geometrical and electrical parameters of the ion funnel, five ion funnel configurations were constructed. The merits and features of the respective ion funnels were evaluated, and the ion transmission characteristics were investigated and analyzed. An optimized ion funnel model was compared against the typical traditional drift tube that was used in PTR-MS for ion transmission, and it was found that the ion traveling trajectories in the ion funnel and traditional drift tube had different shapes and ion transmission efficiencies. Preliminary investigations revealed that this ion funnel improved the ion transmission efficiency by at least 10 times. The simulation and experiment results are helpful in guiding the design of an improved ion funnel to develop a PTR-MS system with higher sensitivity.