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Static secondary ion mass spectrometry for nanoscale analysis: surface characterisation of electrospun nanofibres
Author(s) -
Van Royen Pieter,
Schacht Etienne,
Ruys Luc,
Vaeck Luc Van
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.2311
Subject(s) - chemistry , secondary ion mass spectrometry , nanoscopic scale , mass spectrometry , bromide , polymer , static secondary ion mass spectrometry , electrospinning , nanofiber , ion , chemical engineering , analytical chemistry (journal) , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , chromatography , organic chemistry , materials science , engineering
The viability of static secondary ion mass spectrometry (S‐SIMS) for selected applications of nanoscale analysis has been investigated, focusing on nanofibres produced by electrospinning (ES) as a test case. The samples consist of non‐woven nanowebs of which the individual fibres have diameters in the range of 100 nm. Use of solutions with functionalised polymers or polar additives potentially allows the surface composition to be tailored as a function of the application. So far nanowebs are primarily characterised by morphological examination. This paper describes the first detailed characterisation of molecular composition at the surface of nanofibres electrospun from poly( ε ‐caprolactone) (PCL) solutions in acetone containing 0–15 mol% (relative to PCL) of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Application of S‐SIMS to nanowebs has allowed mass spectra to be recorded containing the major diagnostic ions of both components. Their relative intensities point to surface enrichment and depletion of the polar CTAB additive relative to the PCL matrix for samples electrospun from solution containing low and high CTAB concentrations, respectively. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.