Optical methods, ionization

Label-free optical techniqnes for detecting bound proteins on microarrays have been recently reviewed. The advantage of these methods over labeling methods is that the native form of the analyte is preserved. These methods include SPR, surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SELDI-MS), atomic force microscopy " and fiber-optic methods. 

For metal, dielectric and semiconductor films fabrication, optical and silica glass are popular substrate materials because of their availability, cost-effectiveness, and inert character, i.e., they are stable in the required temperature range for common photonic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications, they do not chemically react with the prepared films, and the hard plane surface makes the formation of optically smooth thin films fairly easy. Generally, it is preferable to form films by a simple, low-temperature, inexpensive and environment friendly method. Sol-gel technique and thermal evaporation is found suitable for the preparation of film parts of efficient solar cells [1], emitters, transformers [2], detectors and modulators of light [3], as well as optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters [4]. Here, we present the experimental data on the resistance to high-power optical and ionizing irradiations of the undoped components of film compositions with nanociystais. 

The selection of the best analytical line has not been discussed explicitly and deserves attention. Because LEI is at least a two-step process involving laser excitation and thermal ionization steps, many transitions may be preferred for LEI which are not usable by purely optical methods. In other words, excited states which have low fractional populations may produce good LEI sensitivity due to proximity of the laser-populated state to the ionization potential. This makes the choice of the most sensitive LEI lines more complicated but it introduces an important practical advantage for dye laser spectrometry. 

Figure B2.3.8. Energy-level schemes describing various optical methods for state-selectively detecting chemical reaction products left-hand side, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) centre, resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and right-hand side, coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS). The ionization continuum is denoted by a shaded area. The dashed lines indicate virtual electronic states. Straight arrows indicate coherent radiation, while a wavy arrow denotes spontaneous emission.

At present there are more than fifteen widely used different test methods to evaluate smoke, each employing its own unique set of heating conditions, sample size and orientation, gas flow and means of smoke measurement. The most frequently used tests are those based on optical methods, i.e. attentuation of a light beam due to the sample formulations burning. There are also mechanical methods, those based on separation of liquid and solid aerosol particles from the smoke gases, the Arapahoe method and electrical methods (generation of electrical charges in an ionization chamber). 

Carburization of rhenium filaments has been used to optimize Th and Pa ionization efficiency for TIMS analysis on single filaments (Esat 1995). ReC has a greater work function than Re metal, and elemental oxidation state is maintained in the reduced or metal state by the presence of carbon in the filament. Using this method and a mass spectrometer with improved ion optics, Esat (1995) was able to improve Th transmission and ionization efficiency by about a factor of 30 over conventional methods. Using more conventional mass spectrometry, Murrell et al. (personal communication) were able to improve ionization efficiency for Pa and Th by a factor of 5-10 over conventional graphite sandwich loads on Re filaments (Goldstein et al. 1989 Pickett et al. 1994). For Pa analysis, one drawback is that Pa and U ionization commonly overlap using this... 

The above-mentioned method is effective in identifying the molecules of detected ions. However, because PVDF film is not permeable to light, it is difficult to observe tissue sections. To resolve this problem, we developed a method to fix tissue sections on transparent film, and then performed MS on those sections.6 We used a conductive film because we expected the ionization efficiency would increase when the electric charge accumulation on the sample was reduced. The film used for this purpose was a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film with a thickness of 75-125 pm, having a 5 15-nm-thick layer of evaporated oxidation indium tin (ITO) upon it (ITO film). This film is used in touch-panel displays because of its high transparency and superior conductivity. We used it to perform MS/MS for tissue sections and succeeded in identifying multiple proteins from mass spectra.6 Therefore, the further development of this method will enable the application of the mass-microscopic method to observe tissue by optical microscope and to perform tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) at the observation part, simultaneously, enabling the identification of molecules included the part. 

A number of other laser spectroscopic techniques are of interest but space does not permit their discussion. A few specialized methods of detecting laser absorption worthy of mention include multiphoton ionization/mass spectrometry (28), which is extremely sensitive as well as mass selective for gas-phase systems optically detected magnetic resonance (29) laser intracavity absorption, which can be extremely sensitive and is applicable to gases or solutions (30) thermal blooming, which is also applicable to very weak absorbances in gases or liquids (31) and... 

---