Fingerprinting of polymer surfaces with Cf-252 particle desorption mass spectrometry

Cf-252 particle desorption mass spectrometry (PDMS) has been applied to a series of industrial polymers. PDMS is a surface technique suited for analysis of polymers since 105 fission fragments impinging on the target are sufficient to obtain a mass spectrum, thus minimizing surface damage and charge-up. Positive and negative ion spectra with masses up to m/z 400 amu were obtained for the following samples: polystyrene, poly(alpha methylstyrene), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(butyl methacrylate). Polymers were studied in the form of solvent recuperated films or as self-standing films. The mass spectra of positive and negative ions showed masses corresponding to different sized monomer fragments. For each polymer, its spectrum can be used as a fingerprint. The mass spectra were compared to those obtained by other mass spectrometric techniques.