title: Carbon-13 labeling for improved tracer depth profiling of organic materials using secondary ion mass spectrometry.
abstract: 13C labeling is introduced as an alternative to deuterium labeling for analysis of organic materials using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). A model macromolecular system composed of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was used to compare the effects of isotopic labeling using both deuterium substitution (dPS) and 13C labeling (13C-PS). Clear evidence is shown that deuterium labeling does introduce changes in the thermodynamic properties of the system, with the observation of segregation of dPS to an hPS:dPS/hPMMA interface. This type of behavior could significantly impact many types of investigations due to the potential for improper interpretation of experimental results as a consequence of labeling-induced artifacts. 13C labeling is shown to provide a true tracer for analysis using SIMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Harton
authors.affiliation: Analytical Instrumentation Facility, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Stevie
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 27695, Raleigh, NC, USA. harald_ade@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ade
mesh_terms: D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D011137:Polystyrenes; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate