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Improved spatial resolution for spot sampling in thermal desorption atomic force microscopy - mass spectrometry via
Suhas Somnath1, Stephen Jesse, Gary J Van Berkel
1The Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials and the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA. ovchinnikovo@ornl.gov.
Nanoscale
|April 21, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a new pulsed heating method for atomic force microscopy (AFM) and mass spectrometry (MS) to improve chemical analysis of materials. This technique significantly enhances desorption efficiency and spatial resolution for surface characterization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Surface Science
Background:
- Accurate materials advancement hinges on understanding structure and chemistry.
- Current characterization methods are limited, often requiring multiple platforms for comprehensive analysis.
- Combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) with mass spectrometry (MS) offers enhanced capabilities for spatially resolved chemical and physical property correlation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and optimize a novel heating strategy for AFM-MS systems.
- To improve the spatial resolution and chemical characterization efficiency of surface analysis.
- To reduce the sampling spot size and enhance desorption efficiency for trace analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a hybrid atomic force microscopy (AFM) and mass spectrometry (MS) system with heated AFM cantilevers for thermal desorption (TD).
- Implemented voltage pulse trains to precisely control cantilever heating, optimizing molecular desorption from the sample surface.
- Developed a 1D finite element model to predict cantilever thermal response and guide the design of tailored heating functions.
Main Results:
- Tailored pulsed heating significantly reduced sampling spot size from 2 μm to 310 nm compared to conventional static heating.
- Achieved a 381-fold improvement in desorption efficiency (DE), defined as signal intensity per desorption volume.
- Demonstrated an 8-fold enhancement in spatial resolution, indicating a substantial improvement in signal-to-amount of material sampled.
Conclusions:
- Pulsed voltage heating offers a superior method for thermal desorption in AFM-MS analysis compared to constant heating.
- The developed technique substantially improves both spatial resolution and analytical sensitivity for surface chemical characterization.
- This advancement enables more detailed and precise understanding of material surfaces at the nanoscale.
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