Parallel detection, quantification, and depth profiling of peptides with dynamic-secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS) ionized by C60+–Ar+ co-sputtering

Highlights: ► Multiple peptides are detected and quantified at the same time without labeling. ► C60+ ion is responsible for generating molecular-specific ions at high mass. ► The co-sputtering yielded more steady depth profile and more well defined interface. ► The fluence of auxiliary Ar+ does not affect the quantification curve. ► The damage from Ar+ is masked by high sputtering yield of C60+. - Abstract: Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) using pulsed C60+ primary ions is a promising technique for analyzing biological specimens with high surface sensitivities. With molecular secondary ions of high masses, multiple molecules can be identified simultaneously without prior separation or isotope labeling. Previous reports using the C60+ primary ion have been based on static-SIMS, which makes depth profiling complicated. Therefore, a dynamic-SIMS technique is reported here. Mixed peptides in the cryoprotectant trehalose were used as a model for evaluating the parameters that lead to the parallel detection and quantification of biomaterials. Trehalose was mixed separately with different concentrations of peptides. The peptide secondary ion intensities (normalized with respect to those of trehalose) were directly proportional to their concentration in the matrix (0.01–2.5 mol%). Quantification curves for each peptide were generated by plotting the percentage of peptides in trehalose versus the normalized SIMS intensities. Using these curves, the parallel detection, identification, and quantification of multiple peptides was achieved. Low energy Ar+ was used to co-sputter and ionize the peptide-doped trehalose sample to suppress the carbon deposition associated with C60+ bombardment, which suppressed the ion intensities during the depth profiling. This co-sputtering technique yielded steadier molecular ion intensities than when using a single C60+ beam. In other words, co-sputtering is suitable for the depth profiling of thick specimens. In addition, the smoother surface generated by co-sputtering yielded greater depth resolution than C60+ sputtering. Furthermore, because C60+ is responsible for generating the molecular ions, the dosage of the auxiliary Ar+ does not significantly affect the quantification curves.