Surface Study of Polymers by Static Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Using a Magnetic‐Sector Mass Spectrometer

Results from static SIMS analysis of six thermoplastic polymers — polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polycarbonate (PC) — using a magnetic‐sector SIMS instrument and O 2 + primary beam are presented. For PTFE as a representative sample, the charging effect is reduced only with a metal grid when analyzing positive secondary ions. When negative secondary ions are analyzed, excessive charges are self‐compensated with a normal‐incidence electron gun. Positive‐ion spectra collected agree with spectra obtained using either a quadrupole or time‐of‐flight SIMS instrument and noble‐gas ion beams. The agreement is objectively demonstrated by means of the capability to compare spectra in the NIST/EPA/MSDC mass spectral database. The merits of the use of high‐mass resolution, of which magnetic‐sector SIMS is inherently capable, to provide analytical information about the molecular species native to the sample are demonstrated in distinguishing three ambiguous peaks with nominal mass ratios m/z = 27, 39 and 59 from PMMA.