Enhancing new developments in ToF-SIMS through researcher exchanges

我们参与了一项研究计划，该计划正在推进飞行时间二次离子质谱技术的能力- ToF-SIMS。它通过用中等能量的粒子轰击表面，通过去除和分析带电粒子（或离子）形式的分子和原子碎片来分析材料的表面化学。这项研究有两个方向。首先，我们正在利用我们令人兴奋的进展，使用巴克球（C60）和金属束来轰击地面。特别是C60光束去除分子相当温和（确保它们在去除过程中受到的破坏比原子束轰击少得多），但数量很大，提高了灵敏度和分析效率。我们的研究与萨里大学韦伯教授的团队合作，试图了解这些光束是如何从表面去除分子的，这样我们就可以根据要分析的样品定制它们的用途。这项基础研究伴随着与两家小型高科技英国公司（Ionoptika Ltd和SIA Ltd）的合作，进行了一些冒险的仪器开发。我们正在开发一种全新的仪器，利用C60光束的能力，独特地结合了ToF-SIMS和互补红外光谱ATR-IR技术。我们相信，通过与一些国际专家在各自领域的交流访问，发展一些更密切的合作，将大大促进这个项目的成功。将发展四个方面：1.；优化多原子离子束的操作：通过逆转宾夕法尼亚州立大学加里森教授开发的计算机模型的操作，该模型描述了束束撞击表面以去除分子的方式，因此它告诉我们束束应该是什么样的，以去除我们想要的大量分子。这是以前从未做过的，但它将极大地帮助实验人员快速选择离子束的正确条件，以获得他们需要的数据。加里森教授将访问曼彻斯特和萨里4个月，韦伯教授将访问宾夕法尼亚州立大学，将这些想法付诸实践。增强电离：质谱法只能检测离子，但以离子形式发射的物种比例不到0.01%。很明显，如果可以增加这一点，灵敏度将大大提高。在对曼彻斯特为期4个月的访问中，Winograd教授将寻求发展他的想法，寻找让分子吸附质子的新方法，在质子离开表面时将其转化为可检测的正离子。为了提高数据处理软件的效率：我们与Ionoptika和SAI公司共同开发的新仪器将比现有的任何仪器更快地产生大量的信息。处理这些信息的计算机需要非常高效。来自内布拉斯加州的Reichenbach教授是开发软件的世界专家，能够以易于理解的方式快速处理大量数据，他将在曼彻斯特花三个月的时间与我们自己的软件工程师Henderson博士以及SAI和Ionoptika的工程师合作，开始开发一个满足我们需求的软件包。亨德森博士将去美国进一步发展这项工作。Heeren教授在阿姆斯特丹的团队开发了一种设计完全不同的仪器，旨在完成与我们正在建造的仪器类似的工作。我们建议使用我们的C60离子束系统来绘制出这些设计相互补充的方法。我们将把我们的C60离子束借给阿姆斯特丹的研究小组，然后交换研究人员，在每个系统上进行一套类似的实验。根据这一系列实验的结果，我们将规划出两种仪器的互补能力，并在生物系统的分析和成像质谱领域发展长期合作。

We are involved in a programme of a research that is advancing the capability of the technique - Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry - ToF-SIMS. which, by bombarding the surface with moderate energy particles, analyses the surface chemistry of materials by removing and analysing molecular and atomic fragments in the form of charged particles (or ions). The research has two directions. First we are capitalising on our exciting advances using bucky-ball (C60) and metal cluster beams to bombard the surface. C60 beams in particular remove molecules rather gently (ensuring that they are much less damaged in the removal process than under atomic beam bombardment), but in large quantities, enhancing sensitivity and analytical efficiency. Our research in collaboration with Prof Webbs' group in the University of Surrey is seeking to understand how these beams remove molecules from the surface, so that we can tailor their use to the samples to be analysed. This fundamental research is accompanied by some adventurous instrumental developments in collaboration with two small high technology UK companies - Ionoptika Ltd and SIA Ltd. We are developing a totally new instrument that exploits the capability of the C60 beam and uniquely combines ToF-SIMS and the complementary infra-red spectroscopy ATR-IR technique.We believe that the success of this project will be greatly enhanced by developing some closer collaborations via exchange visits with a number of international experts in their fields. Four areas will be developed: 1. To optimise the operation of the polyatomic ion beam: By reversing the operation of a computer model, developed by Prof Garrison of Penn State University, that describes the way the cluster beam hits the surface to remove molecules, so that it tells us what the cluster beam should be like to remove the molecules we want in large quantities. This has not been done before, but it would greatly help the experimentalists to rapidly chose the right conditions for the ion beam to get the data they need. Prof Garrison will visit Manchester and Surrey for 4 months and Prof Webb will visit Penn State to bring these ideas to fruition.2. To Enhance ionisation: Mass Spectrometry can only detect ions, but the proportion of species emitted as ions is less than 0.01%. It is obvious that if this could be increased the sensitivity would be dramatically enhanced. In a 4 month visit to Manchester Prof Winograd will seek to develop his ideas on new ways of getting the molecules to pick up protons, changing them into detectable positive ions as they leave the surface.3. To enhance the efficiency of data processing software: The new instrument we are developing with Ionoptika and SAI Ltd will turn out a very large amount of information much faster than any current instrument. The computer that processes this information needs to do it very efficiently. A world expert in developing the software to proceess large amounts of data very quickly in an understandable manner, Prof Reichenbach from Nebraska will spend three months in Manchester to collaborate with our own software engineer, Dr Henderson and those of SAI and Ionoptika to begin to develop a software package that will meet our needs. Dr Henderson will go to the US to develop the work further.3. Prof Heeren's group in Amsterdam have developed an instrument of rather different design aimed at doing a similar job to the one we are building. We propose to map out the ways in which the designs complement each other using our C60 ion beam system. We will lend the Amsterdam group one of our C60 ion beams, then exchange researchers and carry out a similar set of experiments on each system. Based on the results of this series of experiments we will map out the complementary capabilities of the two instruments and develop a long-term collaboration in the area of analytical and imaging mass spectrometry of biological systems.