TY - JOUR A1 - Gabriel, Stefan A1 - Steinhoff, R.F. A1 - Pabst, M. A1 - Schwarzinger, C. A1 - Zenobi, R. A1 - Panne, Ulrich A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Improved analysis of ultra-high molecular mass polystyrenes in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry using DCTB matrix and caesium salts N2 - Rationale The ionization of polystyrenes in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is typically achieved by the use of silver salts. Since silver salts can cause severe problems, such as cluster formation, fragmentation of polymer chains and end group cleavage, their substitution by alkali salts is highly desirable. Methods The influence of various cations (Ag+, Cs+ and Rb+) on the MALDI process of polystyrene (PS) mixtures and high mass polystyrenes was examined. The sample preparation was kept as straightforward as possible. Consequently, no recrystallization or other cleaning procedures were applied. Results The investigation of a polystyrene mixture showed that higher molecular polystyrenes could be more easily ionized using caesium, rather than rubidium or silver salts. In combination with the use of DCTB as matrix a high-mass polymer analysis could be achieved, which was demonstrated by the detection of a 1.1 MDa PS. Conclusions A fast, simple and robust MALDI sample preparation method for the analysis of ultra-high molecular weight polystyrenes based on the use of DCTB and caesium salts has been presented. The suitability of the presented method has been validated by using different mass spectrometers and detectors. KW - MALDI KW - Mega-dalton KW - Ionization KW - Caesium KW - Polystyrene KW - DCTB PY - 2015 UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rcm.7197/full U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7197 SN - 0951-4198 SN - 1097-0231 VL - 29 IS - 11 SP - 1039 EP - 1046 PB - Wiley CY - Chichester AN - OPUS4-33191 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gabriel, Stefan A1 - Schwarzinger, C. A1 - Schwarzinger, B. A1 - Panne, Ulrich A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Matrix segregation as the major cause for sample inhomogeneity in MALDI dried droplet spots N2 - The segregation in dried droplet MALDI sample spots was analyzed with regard to the matrix-to-sample ratio using optical microscopy, MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI MSI) and IR imaging spectroscopy. In this context, different polymer/matrix/solvent systems usually applied in the analysis of synthetic polymers were investigated. The use of typical matrix concentrations (10 mg mL-1) in almost every case resulted in ring patterns, whereas higher concentrated matrix solutions always led to homogeneous sample spot layers. The data revealed that segregation is predominantly caused by matrix transport in the drying droplet, whereas polymer segregation seems to be only secondary. KW - MALDI KW - Imaging MS KW - Matrix segregation KW - Dried droplet KW - Sample preparation KW - Polymers PY - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-014-0913-0 SN - 1044-0305 VL - 25 IS - 8 SP - 1356 EP - 1363 PB - American Society for Mass Spectrometry CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-32582 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -