Microscope imaging mass spectrometry with a reflectron

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Microscopy

Background:

• Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) is a powerful analytical technique.
• Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) provides spatial distribution of analytes.
• Combining TOF-MS with IMS offers high sensitivity and spatial resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a time-of-flight microscope imaging mass spectrometer.
• To achieve simultaneous high mass and spatial resolutions.
• To demonstrate high-throughput ion imaging capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a reflectron-equipped time-of-flight microscope imaging mass spectrometer.
• Employed pulsed extraction differential acceleration ion optical focusing.
• Implemented an event-triggered fast imaging sensor for ion image recording.

Main Results:

• Achieved simultaneous mass resolution of 8100 ± 700 m/Δm and spatial resolution of 18 μm ± 6 μm.
• Simulations indicate potential mass resolution up to 30 200 ± 2900 m/Δm.
• Demonstrated high-throughput capability with event-triggered ion image recording.

Conclusions:

• The developed TOF-IMS instrument offers excellent simultaneous mass and spatial resolutions.
• The instrument's performance is primarily limited by detector response time.
• Further optimization of extraction fields can enhance spatial resolution.
• The system demonstrates potential for advanced surface analysis and high-throughput imaging applications.