Implementation of orbitrap mass spectrometry for improved GC-MS target analysis in lithium ion battery electrolytes

The implementation of orbitrap mass spectrometry for target analysis of volatile species in aged lithium-ion batteries was performed in a case study on butyl carbonates. In comparison to previously applied single quadrupole-based methods, major improvements were obtained. • Sensitivity was improved by effectively background free extracted ion chromatograms of identified marker fragment ions. • Typical isobaric interferences of typical carbonate fragment ions e.g. caused by column bleeding were identified and false positive identification avoided. • Analysis of isotope labeled electrolytes was optimized regarding mass spectrometric data reliability with mass accuracies <0.5 ppm and mass resolutions >100,000.