Title: Co-registered Topographical, Band Excitation Nanomechanical, and Mass Spectral Imaging Using a Combined Atomic Force Microscopy/Mass Spectrometry Platform

Abstract

The advancement of a hybrid atomic force microscopy/mass spectrometry imaging platform demonstrating for the first time co-registered topographical, band excitation nanomechanical, and mass spectral imaging of a surface using a single instrument is reported. The mass spectrometry-based chemical imaging component of the system utilized nanothermal analysis probes for pyrolytic surface sampling followed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of the gas phase species produced with subsequent mass analysis. We discuss the basic instrumental setup and operation and the multimodal imaging capability and utility are demonstrated using a phase separated polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) polymer blend thin film. The topography and band excitation images showed that the valley and plateau regions of the thin film surface were comprised primarily of one of the two polymers in the blend with the mass spectral chemical image used to definitively identify the polymers at the different locations. Data point pixel size for the topography (390 nm x 390 nm), band excitation (781 nm x 781 nm), mass spectrometry (690 nm x 500 nm) images was comparable and submicrometer in all three cases, but the data voxel size for each of the three images was dramatically different. The topography image was uniquely a surface measurement, whereas the band excitationmore » image included information from an estimated 10 nm deep into the sample and the mass spectral image from 110-140 nm in depth. Moreover, because of this dramatic sampling depth variance, some differences in the band excitation and mass spectrometry chemical images were observed and were interpreted to indicate the presence of a buried interface in the sample. The spatial resolution of the mass spectral image was estimated to be between 1.5 m 2.6 m, based on the ability to distinguish surface features in that image that were also observed in the other images.« less

Authors:

Ovchinnikova, Olga S. ^[1]; Tai, Tamin ^[1]; Bocharova, Vera ^[1]; Okatan, Mahmut Baris ^[1]; Belianinov, Alex ^[1]; Kertesz, Vilmos ^[1]; Jesse, Stephen ^[1]; Van Berkel, Gary J. ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:

Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

OSTI Identifier:

1185909

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

ACS Nano

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1936-0851

Publisher:

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; atomic force microscopy; mass spectrometry imaging; atmospheric pressure chemical ionization; thermal desorption; band excitation; topography; atmospheric pressure