A Study of the Effects of Matrix and Laser Energy on the Molecular Mass Distribution of Syntehtic Polymers

Published

June 30, 2003

Author(s)

S Wetzel, Charles M. Guttman, J. Girard

Abstract

The characterization of synthetic polymers by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) has yielded inconsistent results, indication that the MALDI-MS determined molecular mass distribution (MMD) is sensitive to instrumental and sample preparation parameters used to obtain the polymer mass spectrum. The disparity of these results produces questions as to the accuracy and repeatability of the MALDI-TOF-MS method for characterizing synthetic polymers, creating a need to define the parameters that influence the synthetic polymer MMD obtained by MALDI-MS. We considered the effects of laser energy and matrix on the MMD of several polymers of varying thermal stability. The analysis of the four polymers reveals that the matrix used in the MALDI sample preparation has an effect on the polymer mass distribution. The data analysis also reveals an influence of laser energy on the molecular mass distribution, which is matrix dependent.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the 51st ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics

Conference Dates

June 8-12, 2003

Conference Location

Quebec, CA

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

MALDI, mass spectrometry, poly(ethylene glycol), poly(methylmethacrylate), poly(tetrahyd), polymer characterization, Polystyrene

Citation

Wetzel, S. , Guttman, C. and Girard, J. (2003), A Study of the Effects of Matrix and Laser Energy on the Molecular Mass Distribution of Syntehtic Polymers, Proceedings of the 51st ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics , Quebec, CA, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=852221 (Accessed October 15, 2025)