Three-dimensional nanoscale molecular imaging by extreme ultraviolet laser ablation mass spectrometry.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25903827.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms7944 and PMC identifier 4423227.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
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.
Medical subject headings
- Imaging, Three-Dimensional
- Molecular Imaging
- Nanostructures