Toward Nanoscale Chemical Imaging: The Intersection of Scanning Probe Microscopy and Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Advances in analytical technology have pushed the limits of our understanding of chemical and physical phenomena as new tools create new opportunities for discovery. The levels of sensitivities and signal-to-noise levels of atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry techniques have increased to the point that the chemical content of nanometer-sized volumes of material can be determined. Advances in scanning probe technology, which have resulted in improved stability and material property determination, make interfacing with mass-spectrometry possible. Innovations in probe technology to couple or focus intense light or heat at the probe tip enable new ways to remove and transfer specific and highly localized material from the sample surface to the mass spectrometer. The marrying of these two previously separate fields of study creates a viable pathway for true nanoscale chemical imaging. This chapter will cover the recent advances in mass spectrometry that can most readily be coupled with ambient scanning probes and discuss the state-of-the-art efforts to combine these techniques.