| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biological, Organic, and Soft Materials Focus Topic | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session BO+AS+BI-WeA |
| Session: | Advances in Surface Analytical Methods for Organic and Biological Interfaces |
| Presenter: | H.F. Arlinghaus, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany |
| Authors: | H.F. Arlinghaus, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany J. Möller, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany C. Kriegeskotte, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany D. Lipinsky, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
ToF-SIMS and laser-SNMS are increasingly important tools for analyzing the elemental and molecular distribution in biological samples. However, in-vivo analyses of tissues or cell cultures are impossible because the sample must accommodate the vacuum conditions of the instrument. Thus, fixing the sample in its vital state, such as freezing, is essential. Sample preparation by cryo-fractioning or cryosectioning techniques followed by freeze-drying has been successfully used. However, these techniques exhibit several limitations. In order to overcome these limitations, a combination of a ToF-SIMS/laser-SNMS instrument and an in-vacuum cryosectioning instrument were developed for directly preparing and analyzing frozen non-dehydrated samples. The correct sample temperature after preparation and during the analysis showed to be a major factor for the quality of suitable ToF-SIMS/Laser-SNMS analyses. On the one hand, it is necessary to keep the sample cold to avoid freeze drying, on the other hand, a slight increase of the sample temperature removes adsorbates formed by residual gas in the cutting chamber and, more importantly, water resulting from the cutting process, and anticipates adsorption during the analysis. In our presentation, we will show and discuss how to optimize the sample’s temperature, sample preparation techniques for analyzing various biological samples, and the possibility of obtaining 3D molecular images of frozen non-dehydrated biological samples. Our data will show that both TOF-SIMS and Laser-SNMS are capable of imaging elements and molecules in complex biological samples and that they are very valuable tools in advancing applications in life sciences.