Micrometer-scale chemical analysis using heated AFM cantilever and mass spectrometer
This thesis presents the development of a micrometer-scale chemical analysis method using a heated atomic force microscope(AFM) cantilever and mass spectrometer. Simulations investigate the underlying transport mechanisms within the system and the impact of various design parameters. The way to optimize the system is suggested based on the simulation results. A heated microcantilever is used to thermally desorb a micrometer-sized sample by applying thermal energy. Thermally desorbed species are transported through the micro capillary to the vacuum chamber and are deposited onto the plate inside the chamber. The collected species on the plate can be analyzed by a mass spectrometer or fluorescence microscope. The microcantilever is resistively heated and can be operated up to 1000 °C, which enables applications to various samples with a high decomposition or boiling temperature. In the present work, a caffeine sample and rhodamine B sample were successfully analyzed. The caffeine sample was detected by MALDI mass spectrometry, and rhodamine B sample was detected by fluorescence microscopy.
atomic force microscopy (AFM), mass spectrometer (MS), Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI), heated cantilever, chemical identification
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign