Application of a cryo-stage in the TOF-SIMS analysis of atmospheric aerosol surfaces

Nair, Ashwati; Tyler, Bonnie J.; Peterson, Richard E.

doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2004.03.055

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…ToF‐SIMS imaging, which can provide compositional information with high surface sensitivity (sampling depth ~ 1 nm) and high spatial resolution, has received significant attention in areas such as materials science, biomedical science, and atmospheric chemistry . ToF‐SIMS has also been used to investigate the chemical composition of aerosols …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of size‐segregated aerosols using ToF‐SIMS imaging and depth profiling

Cheng

Weng

et al. 2014

Surface & Interface Analysis

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Size‐segregated particles were collected with a ten‐stage micro‐orifice uniform deposit impactor from a busy walkway in a downtown area of Hong Kong. The surface chemical compositions of aerosol samples from each stage were analyzed using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) operated in the static mode. The ToF‐SIMS spectra of particles from stage 2 (5.6–10 µm), stage 6 (0.56–1 µm), and stage 10 (0.056–0.1 µm) were compared, and the positive ion spectra from stage 2 to stage 10 were analyzed with principal component analysis (PCA). Both spectral analysis and PCA results show that the coarse‐mode particles were associated with inorganic ions, while the fine particles were associated with organic ions. PCA results further show that the particle surface compositions were size dependent. Particles from the same mode exhibited more similar surface features. Particles from stage 2 (5.6–10 µm), stage 6 (0.56–1 µm), and stage 10 (0.056–0.1 µm) were further selected as representatives of the three modes, and the chemical compositions of these modes of particles were examined using ToF‐SIMS imaging and depth profiling. The results reveal a non‐uniform chemical distribution from the outer to the inner layer of the particles. The coarse‐mode particles were shown to contain inorganic salts beneath the organics surface. The accumulation‐mode particles contained sulfate, nitrate, ammonium salts, and silicate in the regions below a thick surface layer of organic species. The nucleation‐mode particles consisted mainly of soot particles with a surface coated with sulfate, hydrocarbons, and, possibly, fullerenic carbon. The study demonstrated the capability of ToF‐SIMS depth profiling and imaging in characterizing both the surface and the region beneath the surface of aerosol particles. It also revealed the complex heterogeneity of chemical composition in size and depth distributions of atmospheric particles. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of size‐segregated aerosols using ToF‐SIMS imaging and depth profiling

Cheng

Weng

et al. 2014

Surface & Interface Analysis

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“…During the past decades, the surface compositions of aerosol particles have been directly studied using several analysis techniques such as scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDX), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), and near‐edge X‐ray adsorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy . Among these techniques, ToF‐SIMS has been widely used to investigate the surface composition of aerosol particles in order to locate their emission sources and predict their potential impacts on human health and environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both VOCs and SVOCs have been confirmed to partition into aerosol particles . However, very few studies have addressed the potential evaporation of VOCs and SVOCs under ultrahigh vacuum . Nair et al compared the ToF‐SIMS spectra of aerosol particle samples obtained at ambient temperature and −140°C .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, very few studies have addressed the potential evaporation of VOCs and SVOCs under ultrahigh vacuum . Nair et al compared the ToF‐SIMS spectra of aerosol particle samples obtained at ambient temperature and −140°C . Their results showed that both the aromatic and aliphatic organic species could be lost at ambient temperature under ultrahigh vacuum conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of pretreatment temperature on the analysis of size‐fractionated aerosol particles using ToF‐SIMS

Xie

Weng

et al. 2020

Surface & Interface Analysis

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Size‐fractionated aerosol particles were collected with a MOUDI 10‐stage cascade impactor from an urban roadside place in a downtown area of Hong Kong. Fine aerosol particulate samples from stage 6 (aerodynamic particle diameter between 0.56 and 1 μm) and stage 9 (aerodynamic particle diameter between 0.10 and 0.18 μm) were pretreated at a chosen temperature, including −100°C, −50°C, 25°C, and 60°C, in a load lock chamber and then analyzed using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) at the same temperature (−100°C). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to further analyze ToF‐SIMS spectra of aerosol particles with different pretreatment temperatures from two selected stages. ToF‐SIMS results showed that the intensities of aliphatic hydrocarbon ions such as C4H7+ and C4H9+ and amine ions such as C2H8N+ and C4H12N+ decreased with an increase of the pretreatment temperature under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. We have shown that analyses of this type of aerosol particles using ToF‐SIMS should not be conducted at ambient temperature but at low temperature (eg, −50°C). In addition, we also developed a procedure that can be used to analyze aerosol particle samples under ultrahigh vacuum environment.

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“…19 The preparatory of a frozen hydrated sample is not trivial; it must be suitable to both retain water in the vacuum environment and limit ice formation on the sample surface. [20][21][22][23][24][25] We describe a preparation procedure for introducing hydrogels into a ToF-SIMS instrument for frozen hydrated 3D chemical analysis that employs a gas to remove crystals of frozen, condensed water from the sample surface prior to evacuation of the instrument load lock. In this study, we compare the results of cryodepth profiling of a simple polymer hydrogel system of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) with a model protein (lysozyme) either premixed with the polymer or immersed in a solution to allow it to diffuse into the hydrogel film.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D chemical characterization of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS with argon cluster sputter depth profiling

et al. 2015

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Hydrogels have been used extensively in bioengineering as artificial cell culture supports. Investigation of the interrelationship between cellular response to the hydrogel and its chemistry ideally requires methods that allow characterization without labels and can map species in three-dimensional to follow biomolecules adsorbed to, and absorbed into, the open structure before and during culture. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) has the potential to be utilized for through thickness characterization of hydrogels. The authors have established a simple sample preparation procedure to successfully achieve analysis of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS without the need for dry glove box entry equipment. They demonstrate this on a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) film where a model protein (lysozyme) is incorporated using two methods to demonstrate how protein distribution can be determined. A comparison of lysozyme incorporation is made between the situation where the protein is present in a polymer dip coating solution and where lysozyme is in an aqueous medium in which the film is incubated. It is shown that protonated water clusters H(H2O)n+ where n = 5–11 that are indicative of ice are detected through the entire thickness of the pHEMA. The lysozyme distribution through the pHEMA hydrogel films can be determined using the intensity of a characteristic amino acid secondary ion fragment.

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Application of a cryo-stage in the TOF-SIMS analysis of atmospheric aerosol surfaces

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

Characterization of size‐segregated aerosols using ToF‐SIMS imaging and depth profiling

Characterization of size‐segregated aerosols using ToF‐SIMS imaging and depth profiling

Effects of pretreatment temperature on the analysis of size‐fractionated aerosol particles using ToF‐SIMS

3D chemical characterization of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS with argon cluster sputter depth profiling

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