Biomedical subjects

A Delcorte

Publications and source records attributed to A Delcorte.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Understanding gold-thiolate cluster emission from self-assembled monolayers upon kiloelectronvolt ion bombardment.

This article focuses on the emission of organometallic clusters upon kiloelectronvolt ion bombardment of self-assembled monolayers. It is particularly relevant for the elucidation of the physical processes underlying secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The experimental system, an overlayer of octanethiols on gold, was modeled by classical molecular dynamics, using a hydrocarbon potential involving bonding and nonbonding interactions (AIREBO). To validate the model, the calculated mass and energy distributions of sputtered atoms and molecules were compared to experimental data. Our key finding concerns the emission mechanism of large clusters of the form MxAuy up to M6Au5 (where M is the thiolate molecule), which were not observed under sub-kiloelectronvolt projectile bombardment. Statistically, they are predominantly formed in high-yield events, where many atoms, fragments, and (supra)molecular species are desorbed from the surface. From the microscopic viewpoint, these high-yield events mostly stem from the confinement of the projectile and recoil atom energies in a finite microvolume of the sample surface. As a result of the high local energy density, molecular aggregates desorb from an overheated liquidlike region surrounding the impact point of the projectile.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2005

Metal salts for molecular ion yield enhancement in organic secondary ion mass spectrometry: a critical assessment.

In a search for molecular ion signal enhancement in organic SIMS, the efficiency of a series of organic and inorganic salts for molecular cationization has been tested using a panel of nonvolatile molecules with very different chemical characteristics (leucine enkephalin, Irganox 1010, tetraphenylnaphthalene, polystyrene). The compounds used for cationization include alkali bromide and group Ib metal salts (XBr with X = Li, Na, K; CF3CO2Ag; AgNO3; [CH3COCH=C(O-)CH3]2Cu; AuCl3). Alkali ions, very good for polar molecule cationization, prove to be of limited interest for nonpolar molecules such as polystyrene. Silver trifluoroacetate displays excellent results for all the considered molecules, except for leucine enkephalin (which might be due to the use of different solvents for the analyte and the salt). Instead, silver nitrate mixed with leucine enkephalin in an ethanol solution provides intense molecular signals. The influence of the respective concentrations of analyte and salt in solution, of the silver trifluoroacetate solution stability, and of the sample microstructure on the secondary ion intensities are also investigated. The results of other combinations of analyte and salts are reported. Finally, the use of salts is critically compared to other sample preparation procedures previously proposed for SIMS analysis of large organic molecules.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Sample metallization for performance improvement in desorption/ionization of kilodalton molecules: quantitative evaluation, imaging secondary ion MS, and laser ablation.

The metallization procedure, proposed recently for signal improvement in organic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) (Delcorte, A.; Médard, N.; Bertrand, P. Anal.Chem. 2002, 74, 4955)., has been thoroughly tested for a set of kilodalton molecules bearing various functional groups: Irganox 1010, polystyrene, polyalanine, and copper phthalocyanine. In addition to gold, we evaluate the effect of silver evaporation as a sample treatment prior to static SIMS analysis. Ion yields, damage cross sections, and emission efficiencies are compared for Ag- and Au-metallized molecular films, pristine coatings on silicon, and submonolayers of the same molecules adsorbed on silver and gold. The results are sample-dependent but as an example, the yield enhancement calculated for metallized Irganox films with respect to untreated coatings is larger than 2 orders of magnitude for the quasimolecular ion and a factor of 1-10 for characteristic fragments. Insights into the emission processes of quasimolecular ions from metallized surfaces are deduced from kinetic energy distribution measurements. The advantage of the method for imaging SIMS applications is illustrated by the study of a nonuniform coating of polystyrene oligomers on a 100-microm polypropylene film. The evaporated metal eliminates sample charging and allows us to obtain enhanced quality images of characteristic fragment ions as well as reasonably contrasted chemical mappings for cationized PS oligomers and large PP chain segments. Finally, we report on the benefit of using metal evaporation as a sample preparation procedure for laser ablation mass spectrometry. Our results show that the fingerprint spectra of Au-covered polystyrene, polypropylene, and Irganox films can be readily obtained under 337-nm irradiation, a wavelength for which the absorption of polyolefins is low. This is probably because the gold clusters embedded in the sample surface absorb and transfer the photon energy to the surrounding organic medium.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene↗

PubMed2002

Organic secondary ion mass spectrometry: sensitivity enhancement by gold deposition.

Hydrocarbon oligomers, high-molecular-weight polymers, and polymer additives have been covered with 2-60 nmol of gold/cm2 in order to enhance the ionization efficiency for static secondary ion mass spectrometry (s-SIMS) measurements. Au-cationized molecules (up to -3,000 Da) and fragments (up to the trimer) are observed in the positive mass spectra of metallized polystyrene (PS) oligomer films. Beyond 3,000 Da, the entanglement of polymer chains prevents the ejection of intact molecules from a "thick" organic film. This mass limit can be overcome by embedding the polymer chains in a low-molecular-weight matix. The diffusion of organic molecules over the metal surfaces is also demonstrated for short PS oligomers. In the case of high-molecular-weight polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, PS) and polymer additives (Irganox 1010, Irgafos 168), the metallization procedure induces a dramatic increase of the fingerprint fragment ion yields as well as the formation of new Aucationized species that can be used for chemical diagnostics. In comparison with the deposition of submonolayers of organic molecules on metallic surfaces, metal evaporation onto organic samples provides a comparable sensitivity enhancement. The distinct advantage of the metal evaporation procedure is that it can be used for any kind of organic sample, irrespective of thickness, opening new perspectives for "real world" sample analysis and chemical imaging by s-SIMS.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Molecule liftoff from surfaces.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to model the kiloelectronvolt particle bombardment of organic layers on metal substrates such as occurs in the analytical techniques of secondary ion mass spectrometry and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Vignettes of insights gained from the simulations along with comparisons to experimental data are presented in this Account. Topics include intact molecular ejection vs fragmentation, prediction of reaction pathways, influence of the substrate, and quantitative predictions of energy and angular distributions.

Mass Spectrometry↗