Nowadays, we spend most of our time indoors. Minimizing health risks associated with ambient air pollution is therefore of paramount importance. Typical pollutants can be allergens, toxic or carcinogenic substances, and may include benzene, toluene and formaldehyde among a variety of volatile organic compounds. They are emitted from a variety of sources such as heaters, furniture, paints, and cigarette smoke.

Air quality can be significantly improved by photocatalytic purification, which breaks down pollutants into harmless products such as H2O and CO2. Research in the kinetics of photocatalysis requires highly sensitive equipment that provides continuous on-line measurements and immediate feedback.

The off-line analysis method is unable to provide real-time results, as this requires time-consuming sampling. An IMR-MS circumvents these obstacles through direct sampling and its ability to provide continuous on-line measurement and thus immediate availability of measurement results. V&F instruments facilitate highly sensitive and highly selective measurements, as required for time profiling in kinetic studies where a selection of compounds must be measured simultaneously.