Laser‐induced thermal desorption of aniline from silica surfaces

Laser temperature programmed desorption: A flexible technique to study ion-surface interaction

Understanding the physical-chemical processes ruling the interaction of particles (atoms, molecules, and ions) with surfaces is fundamental in several research fields, such as heterogeneous catalysis, astrochemistry, and nuclear fusion. In particular, the interaction of hydrogen isotopes with plasma facing materials represents a high-priority research task in the fusion community. Such studies are essential to ensure the successful operation of experimental fusion reactors, such as the tokamak ITER. In this work, we present a surface science apparatus developed to study ion-surface interaction in fusion relevant systems. It combines laser-based techniques with contaminant-free ion/molecular beams, mass spectrometry, and surface science tools such as low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. It allows to cover a wide range of sample temperatures, from 130 to 2300 K, by changing the heating rate of samples from 0.1 to 135 K/s and maintaining the linearity of the heating ramps, a powerful feature to gain insight on adsorption, absorption, and desorption mechanisms. Experimental calibration and performance are presented in detail. Moreover, to provide a factual overview of the experimental capabilities, we focus on two different applications: the protocol used to clean a W(110) single crystal sample and the development of laser temperature programmed desorption to study helium retention in tungsten.

Surface Coverage- and Excitation Laser Wavelength-Dependent Luminescence Properties of U(VI) Species Adsorbed on Amorphous SiO2

Time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy is usefully used to identify U(VI) surface species adsorbed on SiO2. However, the cause of the inconsistent luminescence lifetimes and spectral shapes reported previously remains undetermined. In this study, the U(VI) surface coverage (Γ) and excitation laser wavelength (λex) were examined as the predominant factors governing the luminescence properties of U(VI) surface species. At neutral pH, the luminescence lifetimes of U(VI) surface species increased with decreasing Γ. In the low-Γ region, where a relatively large number of adjacent surface sites are involved in the formation of multidentate surface complexes, the displacement of more number of coordinated water molecules in the equatorial plane of U(VI) results in a longer lifetime. The pH-dependent luminescence lifetimes of U(VI) surface species at the same U(VI) to SiO2 concentration ratio in the pH range of 4.5–7.5 also explain the effect of the surface binding sites on the luminescence lifetime. The time-resolved luminescence properties of the U(VI) surface species were also investigated at different excitation wavelengths. Continued irradiation of the SiO2 surface with a UV laser beam at λex = 266 nm considerably reduced the luminescence intensities of the U(VI) surface species. The higher the laser pulse energy, the greater the decrease in luminescence intensity. Laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) of U(VI) surface species is suggested to be the origin of the decrease in luminescence intensity. LITD effects were not observed at λex = 355 and 422 nm, even at high laser pulse energies.

Gas-Phase Infrared Spectroscopy of Neutral Peptides: Insights from the Far-IR and THz Domain

Gas-phase, double resonance IR spectroscopy has proven to be an excellent approach to obtain structural information on peptides ranging from single amino acids to large peptides and peptide clusters. In this review, we discuss the state-of-the-art of infrared action spectroscopy of peptides in the far-IR and THz regime. An introduction to the field of far-IR spectroscopy is given, thereby highlighting the opportunities that are provided for gas-phase research on neutral peptides. Current experimental methods, including spectroscopic schemes, have been reviewed. Structural information from the experimental far-IR spectra can be obtained with the help of suitable theoretical approaches such as dynamical DFT techniques and the recently developed Graph Theory. The aim of this review is to underline how the synergy between far-IR spectroscopy and theory can provide an unprecedented picture of the structure of neutral biomolecules in the gas phase. The far-IR signatures of the discussed studies are summarized in a far-IR map, in order to gain insight into the origin of the far-IR localized and delocalized motions present in peptides and where they can be found in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Bacterial analysis by laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry on amorphous silicon

Lipid profiling in nine bacterial species has been accomplished by laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) using amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film with 100 nm thickness. Lipid ions could be generated by LDI on a-Si regardless of ion acquisition modes because of a thermal property of a-Si to govern laser-induced surface heating. In a comparative study of lipid profiling in Bacillus lichemiformis by LDI-MS and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), LDI-MS on a-Si shows a higher efficiency in lipid and lipopeptide detection than MALDI-MS. A total of 53 peaks of lipid ions generated by LDI on a-Si in both acquisition modes for m/z 400-1200 was 1.6 times more than that detected by MALDI-MS using three organic matrices-2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone monohydrate. Also, the authors demonstrate by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) that LDI-MS provides high detection coverage through whole sample area. MSI results show the detection yield in LDI on a-Si is 94.8% calculated by counting the number of points detected in the analyte ion signal in a whole spot. It means that reproducible detection of lipid ions by LDI-MS is possible even if laser is randomly irradiated at any position within the bacterial sample area applied on a-Si. Lipid profiling by LDI-MS on a-Si was applied to bacterial differentiation of nine bacterial species conducted by performing principal component analysis. Nine bacterial species are successfully distinguishable from each other by LDI-MS lipid profiling.

Inefficient Vibrational Cooling of C60 in a Supersonic Expansion

High-resolution gas-phase infrared spectroscopy of buckminsterfullerene (C60) was attempted near 8.5 μm using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Solid C60 was heated in a high-temperature (~950 K) oven and cooled using an argon supersonic expansion generated from a 12.7 mm × 150 μm slit. The expected S/N ratio is ~140 for vibrationally cold C60, but no absorption signal has been observed, presumably due to a lack of vibrational cooling of C60 in the expansion. Measurements of D2O at 875 K are presented as a test of instrument alignment at high temperature and show that efficient rotational cooling of D2O occurs in the hot oven (Trot = 20 K in the expansion), though vibrational cooling does not occur. The attempted C60 spectroscopy is compared to previous work which showed efficient vibrational cooling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Possible alternative experiments for observing a cold, gas-phase spectrum of C60 are also considered.

Interpretation of time-of-flight distributions for neutral particles under pulsed laser evaporation using direct Monte Carlo simulation

A theoretical study of the time-of-flight (TOF) distributions under pulsed laser evaporation in vacuum has been performed. A database of TOF distributions has been calculated by the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. It is shown that describing experimental TOF signals through the use of the calculated TOF database combined with a simple analysis of evaporation allows determining the irradiated surface temperature and the rate of evaporation. Analysis of experimental TOF distributions under laser ablation of niobium, copper, and graphite has been performed, with the evaluated surface temperature being well agreed with results of the thermal model calculations. General empirical dependences are proposed, which allow indentifying the regime of the laser induced thermal ablation from the TOF distributions for neutral particles without invoking the DSMC-calculated database.

Laser-induced thermal desorption facilitates postsource decay of peptide ions

We investigated the thermal mechanism involved in laser desorption/ionization (LDI) of thermally labile molecules from the flat surfaces of amorphous Si (a-Si) and crystalline Si (c-Si). a-Si was selected for this study because of its thermal property, such as low thermal conductivity; thus, it was predicted to be highly susceptible to laser-induced surface heating. By virtue of lack of surface nanostructures, the flat surfaces offer a simple model system to focus on the thermal mechanism, avoiding other effects, including possible non-thermal contributions that can arise from the physical existence of surface nanostructures. For the energetics study, the internal energies of substituted benzylpyridinium ions produced by LDI on the bare and coated surfaces of a-Si and c-Si were obtained using the survival yield method. The results, including LDI thresholds, ion yields, and internal energies all suggested that the LDI mechanism would be indeed thermal, which is most likely promoted by thermal desorption caused by laser-induced surface heating. In addition, the LDI process driven by laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) was also found to be capable of depositing an excessive internal energy in resulting LDI ions, which underwent a dissociation. It exhibited the essentially same features as in postsource decay (PSD) in MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. We report that the LDI process by LITD offers not only a way of intact ionization but also a facile means for PSD of peptide ions, which this work demonstrates is well suited to peptide sequencing using TOF/TOF mass spectrometry.

Gas-Phase Spectroscopy of Biomolecular Building Blocks

Gas-phase spectroscopy lends itself ideally to the study of isolated molecules and provides important data for comparison with theory. In recent years, we have seen enormous progress in the study of biomolecular building blocks in the gas phase. The motivation for such work is threefold: (a) It is important to distinguish between intrinsic molecular properties and properties that result from the biological environment. (b) Gas-phase spectroscopy of clusters provides insights into fundamental interactions and into microsolvation. (c) Gas-phase data support quantum-chemical calculations. This review focuses on the current status of (poly)amino acids and DNA bases. Recent results help elucidate structure and hydrogen-bonded interactions, as well as showcase a successful interplay between theory and experiment.

Deceleration of high-energy matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization ions in an open cell for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A new method of ion deceleration in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) open cell is described that improves the performance of FTICR-MS instruments equipped with an internal source for laser desorption/ionization. Ion deceleration occurs in the front trapping cylinder of an open cylindrical cell. Decelerating voltages up to 100 V can be applied for 10-500 micros to the front cylinder during ion introduction. The deceleration field is uniformly distributed along the cylinder length giving a "smooth" deceleration, which means that the deceleration is effective over a large time interval and a large m/z range. This results in improved trapping efficiency of high-energy ions. We demonstrate efficient trapping of high (m/z 66 kDa) mass ions and the possibility to reduce the width of the kinetic energy distribution of MALDI ions with this arrangement.