Capabilities and Limitations of Direct Analysis in Real Time Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry and Tandem Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Synthetic and Natural Polymers

Rationale: Despite the widespread use of direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS), its capabilities in terms of accessible mass range and the types of polymers that can be analysed are not well known. The goal of this work was to evaluate the capabilities and limitations of this ionization technique combined with orbitrap mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, for the characterization (structural and polydispersity metrics) of various synthetic and natural polymers.

Methods: The capabilities and limitations of DART-MS (and -MS(2)), using an orbitrap mass spectrometer, for polymer analysis were evaluated using various industrial synthetic polymers and biopolymers. Stainless steel mesh screens secured on a movable rail were used as the sampling surface, onto which 5 μL of various polymers dissolved in tetrahydrofuran were added. Assignment of spectral features and calculation of molecular weight and polydispersity metrics were performed using Polymerix™ software and the results were compared with those obtained by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC).

Results: Protonated oligomers and ammonium adducts were instantaneously detected as the major ionisation products in positive ion mode. Only perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) were ionised in negative mode and detected as [M](-·) ions. Only singly charged molecular species were observed for all oligomers under study, allowing for a rapid determination of the molecular weight and polydispersity metrics of polymers. At elevated DART gas temperatures (400-500°C) the molecular weight and polydispersity metrics compared fairly well with those obtained by GPC, with polymers whose masses ranged from 200 g x mol(-1) to 4000 g x mol(-1).

Conclusions: DART-MS allowed the direct and rapid analysis (mass spectra and tandem mass spectra of all the polymers were acquired in seconds) based on the exact masses of their [M+H](+) and [M+NH4](+) ions (in the positive mode) or [M](-·) ions (for polymers having a high sensitivity toward electron-capture ionisation such as PFPEs), as well as the exact masses of their product ions, for both synthetic and natural polymers under ambient conditions without any sample pre-treatment.