Gas Cluster Ion Beam-Assisted Deposition for Fabricating Dry Multilayers Containing Enzyme and Substrate with On-Demand Release.

Gas cluster ion beam (GCIB)-assisted deposition is used to build multilayered protein-based structures. In this process, Ar clusters bombard and sputter molecules from a reservoir (target) to a collector, an operation that can be sequentially repeated with multiple targets. The process occurs under a vacuum, making it adequate for further sample conservation in the dry state, since many proteins do not have long-term storage stability in the aqueous state.

Improvement of Lipid Detection in Mouse Brain and Human Uterine Tissue Sections Using In Situ Matrix Enhanced Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry.

The potential of mass spectrometry imaging, and especially ToF-SIMS 2D and 3D imaging, for submicrometer-scale, label-free molecular localization in biological tissues is undisputable. Nevertheless, sensitivity issues remain, especially when one wants to achieve the best lateral and vertical (nanometer-scale) resolution. In this study, the interest of in situ matrix transfer for tissue analysis with cluster ion beams (Bi, Ar) is explored in detail, using a series of six low molecular weight acidic (MALDI) matrices.

Gas Cluster Ion Beams as a Versatile Soft-Landing Tool for the Controlled Construction of Thin (Bio)Films.

Surface biofunctionalization with proteins is the key to many biomedical applications. In this study, a solvent-free method for the controlled construction of protein thin films is reported. Using large argon gas cluster ion beams, proteins are sputtered from a target (a pool of pure proteins), and collected on a chosen substrate, being nearly any solid material.

Improvement of biomolecular analysis in thin films using matrix enhanced secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Sensitivity to molecular ions remains a limiting factor for high resolution imaging mass spectrometry of organic and biological materials. Here, we investigate a variant of matrix-enhanced secondary ion mass spectrometry in which the transfer of matrix molecules to the analyte sample is carried out ( ME-SIMS). This approach is therefore compatible with both 2D and 3D imaging by SIMS.

Deposition of Intact and Active Proteins In Vacuo Using Large Argon Cluster Ion Beams.

Providing inert materials with a biochemical function, for example using proteins, is a cornerstone technology underlying many applications. However, the controlled construction of protein thin films remains a major challenge. Here, an innovative solvent-free approach for protein deposition is reported, using lysozyme as a model.

Large cluster ions: soft local probes and tools for organic and bio surfaces.

Ionised cluster beams have been produced and employed for thin film deposition and surface processing for half a century. In the last two decades, kiloelectronvolt cluster ions have also proved to be outstanding for surface characterisation by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), because their sputter and ion yields are enhanced in a non-linear fashion with respect to monoatomic projectiles, with a resulting step change of sensitivity for analysis and imaging. In particular, large gas cluster ion beams, or GCIB, have now become a reference in organic surface and thin film analysis using SIMS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).