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Mass spectra database of polymers for bismuth-cluster ToF-SIMS
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This study created a reference database of mass spectra for common commercial polymers using bismuth-cluster time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The database fills a critical gap for researchers trying to identify and classify microplastic particles in environmental samples using this high-resolution analytical technique.
Contamination and pollution of the environment by plastic and especially microplastic debris has become a major research interest in recent years. Microplastics are, by definition, polymer fragments less than 5 mm in length and are either that size before entering or created from degradation of larger polymer products after entering the environment. Suitable analytical methods are required for the study of these small sized polymer particles. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is such a suitable analytical method with its high spatial resolution, which has the ability to detect molecular species, and 3D analysis option. However, there is a lack of ToF-SIMS reference spectra of polymers for state-of-the-art primary ion species such as bismuth-cluster Bi3+. Therefore, this study provides a database of reference spectra for the most abundantly used commercial polymers for bismuth cluster ToF-SIMS in positive and negative polarity. This database is an important tool for further microplastic analysis and classification.
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