Nanoscale Mass Spectrometry Multimodal Imaging via Tip-Enhanced Photothermal Desorption.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional macroscopic characterization fails to capture nanoscale chemical organization crucial for material functionality.
• Volatile and beam-sensitive materials are challenging to analyze with standard vacuum-based nanoscale techniques.
• Ambient condition approaches are needed for probing nanoscale chemical phenomena and correlating them with functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel multimodal chemical imaging tool for probing local chemical environments.
• To correlate nanoscale chemical information with material structure and functionality.
• To overcome limitations of vacuum-based analysis for sensitive and volatile materials.

Main Methods:

• Development of a combined atomic force microscopy (AFM) and mass spectrometry (MS) system.
• Utilized tip-enhanced photothermal desorption with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) for analysis.
• Employed advanced multimodal chemical imaging for correlated analysis.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated enhanced performance metrics for correlated imaging and point sampling.
• Successfully analyzed trace chemicals on human hair, additives in adhesives, and pharmaceutical samples.
• Showcased the technique's applicability to materials difficult to analyze under vacuum conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed AFM-MS technique enables ambient condition nanoscale chemical characterization.
• Correlating local chemical environments with structure and functionality is key for advancing research.
• This approach has broad applicability in biology, medicine, and material science.