Mass spectrometry of polymers: A tutorial review.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• The increasing complexity of synthetic polymers necessitates advanced characterization techniques.
• Fine-tuning polymer properties for diverse applications requires in-depth material analysis.
• Mass spectrometry (MS) offers high sensitivity, selectivity, specificity, and speed for polymer analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and exemplify various mass spectrometry (MS) techniques for synthetic polymer characterization.
• To describe fundamental ionization methods and sample preparation protocols for MS analysis of polymers.
• To illustrate the capabilities of MS for elucidating polymer composition, structure, architecture, topology, and surface properties.

Main Methods:

• Review of various mass spectrometry (MS) techniques.
• Description of ionization methods suitable for synthetic polymers.
• Introduction to one-step, hyphenated, and multidimensional MS approaches, including surface-sensitive and imaging techniques.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of MS capabilities for analyzing compositional complexity, primary structure, architecture, and topology.
• Examples of surface-sensitive and imaging MS techniques applied to synthetic polymers.
• Emphasis on the utility of MS for detailed structural elucidation of large, complex polymeric materials.

Conclusions:

• Mass spectrometry is a versatile and powerful tool for comprehensive synthetic polymer characterization.
• MS enables detailed analysis of various structural features, crucial for developing new polymeric materials.
• The review underscores the significant potential of MS in advancing polymer chemistry research and development.