Atomic Force Microscope Controlled Topographical Imaging
and Proximal Probe Thermal Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Imaging
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Abstract
This
paper reports on the development of a hybrid atmospheric pressure
atomic force microscopy/mass spectrometry imaging system utilizing
nanothermal analysis probes for thermal desorption surface sampling
with subsequent atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and mass
analysis. The basic instrumental setup and the general operation of
the system were discussed, and optimized performance metrics were
presented. The ability to correlate topographic images of a surface
with atomic force microscopy and a mass spectral chemical image of
the same surface, utilizing the same probe without moving the sample
from the system, was demonstrated. Co-registered mass spectral chemical
images and atomic force microscopy topographical images were obtained
from inked patterns on paper as well as from a living bacterial colony
on an agar gel. Spatial resolution of the topography images based
on pixel size (0.2 μm × 0.8 μm) was better than the
resolution of the mass spectral images (2.5 μm × 2.0 μm),
which were limited by current mass spectral data acquisition rate
and system detection levels