Three-dimensional nanoscale molecular imaging by extreme ultraviolet laser ablation mass spectrometry

Analytical probes capable of mapping molecular composition at the nanoscale are of critical importance to materials research, biology and medicine. Mass spectral imaging makes it possible to visualize the spatial organization of multiple molecular components at a sample’s surface. However, it is cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2015-04, Vol.6 (1), p.6944-6944, Article 6944
Main Authors: Kuznetsov, Ilya, Filevich, Jorge, Dong, Feng, Woolston, Mark, Chao, Weilun, Anderson, Erik H., Bernstein, Elliot R., Crick, Dean C., Rocca, Jorge J., Menoni, Carmen S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/638/440
639/766/25
639/925/930/296
Humanities and Social Sciences
Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods
Laser Therapy
Lasers
Mass Spectrometry
Molecular Imaging - methods
multidisciplinary
Nanostructures - ultrastructure
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet Rays
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Summary:Analytical probes capable of mapping molecular composition at the nanoscale are of critical importance to materials research, biology and medicine. Mass spectral imaging makes it possible to visualize the spatial organization of multiple molecular components at a sample’s surface. However, it is challenging for mass spectral imaging to map molecular composition in three dimensions (3D) with submicron resolution. Here we describe a mass spectral imaging method that exploits the high 3D localization of absorbed extreme ultraviolet laser light and its fundamentally distinct interaction with matter to determine molecular composition from a volume as small as 50 zl in a single laser shot. Molecular imaging with a lateral resolution of 75 nm and a depth resolution of 20 nm is demonstrated. These results open opportunities to visualize chemical composition and chemical changes in 3D at the nanoscale. Mass spectral analysis is used to map the composition of materials and surfaces in numerous fields. Here, the authors report a mass spectral technique based on extreme ultraviolet laser ablation that allows three-dimensional imaging of chemical composition in addition to giving highly sensitive nanoscale resolution.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/ncomms7944