Time-of-flight mass spectrometric analysis of ion formation in hypervelocity impact of organic polymer microspheres: comparison with secondary ion mass spectrometry, (252)Cf mass spectrometry and laser mass spectrometry

Space science applications for conducting polymer particles: synthetic mimics for cosmic dust and micrometeorites

The design of conducting polymer-based particles as synthetic mimics for understanding the behaviour of micro-meteorites (a.k.a. cosmic dust) is reviewed and the implications for various space science applications is discussed.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry of mineral volatilization: toward direct composition analysis of shocked mineral vapor

We have developed an orthogonal-acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometer to study the volatiles produced when a mineral's shock-compressed state is isentropically released, as occurs when a shock wave, driven into the mineral by an impact, reflects upon reaching a free surface. The instrument is designed to use a gun or explosive-launched projectile as the source of the shock wave, impact onto a flange separating a poor vacuum and the high vacuum (10(-7) Torr) interior of the mass spectrometer, and transmission of the shock wave through the flange to a mineral sample mounted on the high-vacuum side of the flange. The device extracts and analyzes the neutrals and ions produced from the shocked mineral prior to the possible occurrence of collateral instrument damage from the shock-inducing impact. The instrument has been tested using laser ablation of various mineral surfaces, and the resulting spectra are presented. Mass spectra are compared with theoretical distributions of molecular species, and with expected distributions from laser desorption.

Impact ionisation spectra from hypervelocity impacts using aliphatic poly(methyl methacrylate) microparticle projectiles

We report impact ionisation spectra from spherical poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microparticles of 724 nm diameter impacting a rhodium target. These projectiles were coated with an ultrathin (~11 nm) overlayer of polypyrrole, an electrically conducting organic polymer; this enabled the accumulation of sufficient surface charge to allow electrostatic acceleration up to speeds of 4 to 8 km s(-1) using a high-voltage Van de Graaff instrument. A grid above the target (held at 3.33 kV cm(-1) with respect to the target) accelerated the cations that were generated during the hypervelocity impacts, and these ions then drifted to a charge detector. By measuring the collected charge vs. time and assuming only single ionisation events, time-of-flight mass spectra were obtained. Strong signals were observed for cationic species with ions of m/z 41, 65 and 115. There were also minor contributions from cations with masses ranging from m/z 29 to 142. The three major signals are assigned to fragment ions (C(3)H(5)(+), C(4)H(5)O(+)/C(5)H(9)(+) and C(6)H(11)O(2)(+)) which are known to be associated with the decomposition of PMMA. These impact ionisation spectra differ significantly from those reported earlier using polystyrene (PS) microparticles. The aliphatic PMMA microparticles generate small (m/z <100) fragment ions more readily at lower speeds than the predominantly aromatic PS microparticles, where speeds of at least 10 km s(-1) are typically required for substantial yields of low-mass fragment ions. This correlates well with the well-known greater chemical and thermal fragility of PMMA compared to PS. The PMMA microparticles should prove useful synthetic mimics for aliphatic carbonaceous micrometeorites.

Mass spectrometry of hyper-velocity impacts of organic micrograins

The study of hyper-velocity impacts of micrometeoroids is important for the calibration of dust sensors in space applications. For this purpose, submicron-sized synthetic dust grains comprising either polystyrene or poly[bis(4-vinylthiophenyl)sulfide] were coated with an ultrathin overlayer of an electrically conductive organic polymer (either polypyrrole or polyaniline) and were accelerated to speeds between 3 and 35 km s(-1) using the Heidelberg Dust Accelerator facility. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry was applied to analyse the resulting ionic impact plasma using a newly developed Large Area Mass Analyser (LAMA). Depending on the projectile type and the impact speed, both aliphatic and aromatic molecular ions and cluster species were identified in the mass spectra with masses up to 400 u. Clusters resulting from the target material (silver) and mixed clusters of target and projectile species were also observed. Impact velocities of between 10 and 35 km s(-1) are suitable for a principal identification of organic materials in micrometeoroids, whereas impact speeds below approximately 10 km s(-1) allow for an even more detailed analysis. Molecular ions and fragments reflect components of the parent molecule, providing determination of even complex organic molecules embedded in a dust grain. In contrast to previous measurements with the Cosmic Dust Analyser instrument, the employed LAMA instrument has a seven times higher mass resolution--approximately 200--which allowed for a detailed analysis of the complex mass spectra. These fundamental studies are expected to enhance our understanding of cometary, interplanetary and interstellar dust grains, which travel at similar hyper-velocities and are known to contain both aliphatic and aromatic organic compounds.

Large area mass analyzer instrument for the chemical analysis of interstellar dust particles

A new instrument to analyze the chemical composition of dust particles in situ in space has been developed. The large target area ( approximately 0.2 m(2)) makes this instrument well suited for detecting a statistically significant number of interstellar dust grains or other dust particles with a low flux. The device is a reflectron-type time-of-flight mass spectrometer that uses only flat electrodes for the generation of the parabolic potential. The instrument analyzes the ions from the impact generated plasma due to hypervelocity dust impacts onto a solid target surface. The SIMION ion optics software package is used to investigate different potential field configurations and optimize the mass resolution and focusing of the ions. The cylindrically symmetric instrument operates with six ring electrodes and six annular electrodes biased to different potentials to create the potential distribution of the reflectron. The laboratory model of the instrument has been fabricated and tested. Hypervelocity dust impacts are simulated by laser ablation using a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser with approximately 8 ns pulse length. The experimental data show typical mass resolution m/Deltam approximately 200.

The Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer at comet 81P/Wild 2

The CIDA (Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer) instrument on the Stardust spacecraft is a time-of-flight mass spectrometer used to analyze ions formed when fast dust particles strike the instrument's target. In the spectra of 45 presumably interstellar particles, quinone derivates were identified as constituents in the organic component. The 29 spectra obtained during the flyby of Comet 81P/Wild 2 confirm the predominance of organic matter. In moving from interstellar to cometary dust, the organic material seems to lose most of its hydrogen and oxygen as water and carbon monoxide. These are now present in the comet as gas phases, whereas the dust is rich in nitrogen-containing species. No traces of amino acids were found. We detected sulfur ions in one spectrum, which suggests that sulfur species are important in cometary organics.