Reduction of surface charging effects in laser ablation ionisation mass spectrometry through gold coating

In femtosecond Laser Ablation Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (fs-LIMS) short laser pulses are used to ablate, atomise, and ionise solid sample material shot-by-shot. When ablating non-conductive samples electric charging of the surface can occur. Depending on the geometry of the instrument, the surface charge can influence the spread of the ablation plume and reduce spectral quality. Methods to reduce surface charging were investigated using a non-conductive geological sample and a miniature fs-LIMS system with a co-linear ablation geometry. Pausing five seconds between consecutive laser bursts fired on non-coated material improved the spectral quality by giving surface charges more time to dissipate. However, best mass spectrometric results were achieved after the sample was sputter coated with a thin gold layer, as a conductive sample surface hinders charge build-up. Consequently, gold coating allowed operation of the laser system at much higher laser pulse energies improving sensitivity and reliability. It also removed the need to pause between laser bursts, speeding up the measurement acquisition.