A new instrument of VUV laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging with micrometer spatial resolution and low level of molecular fragmentation.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has important applications in material research, biology, and medicine. The MSI method based on UV laser desorption/ionization (UVLDI) can obtain images of intact samples, but has a high level of molecular fragmentation. In this work, we report a new MSI instrument that uses a VUV laser (125.3 nm) as a desorption/ionization source to exploit its advantages of high single photon energy and small focus size. The new instrument was tested by the mass spectra of Nile red and FGB (Fibrinogen beta chain) samples and mass spectrometric images of a fly brain section. For the tested samples, the VUVDI method offers lower levels of molecular fragmentations and higher sensitivities than those of the UVLDI method and second ion mass spectrometry imaging method using a Bi beam. The ablation crater produced by the focused VUV laser on a quartz plate has an area of 10 μm. The VUV laser is prepared based on the four-wave mixing method using three collimated laser beams and a heated Hg cell.