Review of applications of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) and differential mobility spectrometry (DMS)

TLDR

FAIMS and DMS separate ions in the gas phase at atmospheric pressure by exploiting differences in ion mobility under low and high electric fields, providing a separation orthogonal to chromatography or mass spectrometry that enhances selectivity, specificity, and signal‑to‑noise while enabling isomer differentiation, background reduction, and isobaric resolution. This review focuses on applying FAIMS/DMS to separate diverse analyte classes such as chemical weapons, explosives, biologically active molecules, pharmaceuticals, and pollutants. The review surveys studies published up to January 2007.

Abstract

High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) and Differential Mobility Spectrometry (DMS) harness differences in ion mobility in low and high electric fields to achieve a gas-phase separation of ions at atmospheric pressure. This separation is orthogonal to either chromatographic or mass spectrometric separation, thereby increasing the selectivity and specificity of analysis. The orthogonality of separation, which in some cases may obviate chromatographic separation, can be used to differentiate isomers, to reduce background, to resolve isobaric species, and to improve signal-to-noise ratios by selective ion transmission. This review will focus on the applications of these techniques to the separation of various classes of analytes, including chemical weapons, explosives, biologically active molecules, pharmaceuticals and pollutants. These papers cover the period up to January 2007.