Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. V.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is a powerful and versatile analytical technique. Taking advantage of the excellent mass accuracy, an important prerequisite for clear peak identification, the high sensitivity, and the spatial resolution down to 100 nm [1], we apply ToF-SIMS in different modes of operation to characterize samples from various fields of biomaterials research such as biomimetic antimicrobial surface coatings, functionalized substrates for cell culture applications, and decellularized extracellular matrices (ECM) secreted by cells under different culture conditions. The multidimensional spectral information is analyzed applying tailored multivariate methods to verify compositional differences of tailor-made surfaces coatings or to unveil the impact of culture conditions on the ECM secretion of cells.

References:

[1] Product brochure ToF-SIMS.5, IonToF GmbH, Münster, Germany.

[2] Zimmermann et al. Small Methods 2023, 2201157, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202201157