Single Nanoparticle Mass Spectrometry as a High Temperature Kinetics Tool: Sublimation, Oxidation, and Emission Spectra of Hot Carbon Nanoparticles.

In single nanoparticle mass spectrometry, individual charged nanoparticles (NPs) are trapped in a quadrupole ion trap and detected optically, allowing their mass, charge, and optical properties to be monitored continuously. Previous experiments of this type probed NPs that were either fluorescent or large enough to detect by light scattering. Alternatively, small NPs can be heated to temperatures where thermally excited emission is strong enough to allow detection, and this approach should provide a new tool for measurements of sublimation and surface reaction kinetics of materials at high temperatures.