High resolution nanoscale chemical analysis of bitumen surface microstructures.

Surface microstructures of bitumen are key sites in atmospheric photo-oxidation leading to changes in the mechanical properties and finally resulting in cracking and rutting of the material. Investigations at the nanoscale remain challenging. Conventional combination of optical microscopy and spectroscopy cannot resolve the submicrostructures due to the Abbe restriction. For the first time, we report here respective surface domains, namely catana, peri and para phases, correlated to distinct molecules using combinations of atomic force microscopy with infrared spectroscopy and with correlative time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry. Chemical heterogeneities on the surface lead to selective oxidation due to their varying susceptibility to photo-oxidation. It was found, that highly oxidized compounds, are preferentially situated in the para phase, which are mainly asphaltenes, emphasising their high oxidizability. This is an impressive example how chemical visualization allows elucidation of the submicrostructures and explains their response to reactive oxygen species from the atmosphere.

Multimodal Imaging Mass Spectrometry to Identify Markers of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Human Lung Tissue Using MALDI-ToF, ToF-SIMS, and Hybrid SIMS.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and deadly disease affecting roughly 15-60 people per million in Europe with a poorly understood pathology. There are currently no diagnostic tools for early detection nor does a curative treatment exist. The lipid composition of arteries in lung tissue samples from human PAH and control patients were investigated using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) combined with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) imaging. Using random forests as an IMS data analysis technique, it was possible to identify the ion at m/z 885.6 as a marker of PAH in human lung tissue. The m/z 885.6 ion intensity was shown to be significantly higher around diseased arteries and was confirmed to be a diacylglycerophosphoinositol PI(C18:0/C20:4) via MS/MS using a novel hybrid SIMS instrument. The discovery of a potential biomarker opens up new research avenues which may finally lead to a better understanding of the PAH pathology and highlights the vital role IMS can play in modern biomedical research.

Large O2 Cluster Ions as Sputter Beam for ToF-SIMS Depth Profiling of Alkali Metals in Thin SiO2 Films.

A sputter beam, consisting of large O2 clusters, was used to record depth profiles of alkali metal ions (Me+) within thin SiO2 layers. The O2 gas cluster ion beam (O2-GCIB) exhibits an erosion rate comparable to the frequently used O2+ projectiles. However, because of its high sputter yield the necessary beam current is considerably lower (factor 50), resulting in a decreased amount of excess charges at the SiO2 surface. Hence, a reduced electric field is obtained within the remaining dielectric layer. This drastically mitigates the Me+ migration artifact, commonly observed in depth profiles of various dielectric materials, if analyzed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) in dual beam mode. It is shown, that the application of O2-GCIB results in a negligible residual ion migration for Na+ and K+. This enables artifact-free depth profiling with high sensitivity and low operational effort. Furthermore, insight into the migration behavior of Me+ during O2+ sputtering is given by switching the sputter beam from O2+ to O2 clusters and vice versa. K+ is found to be transported through the SiO2 layer only within the proceeding sputter front. For Na+ a steadily increasing fraction is observed, which migrates through the unaffected SiO2 layer toward the adjacent Si/SiO2 interface.