Velocity corrected ion extraction in microscope mode imaging mass spectrometry

• Microscope mode imaging mass spectrometry (IMS).
• Application of a velocity corrected ion extraction.
• Tuneable IMS for optimized imaging properties.
• Improved time of flight resolution for linear IMS.
• Imaging samples of up to 5 mm in one experiment.

Microscope mode imaging mass spectrometry requires that ions created in a desorption process are focussed both spatially and according to their mass-to-charge ratio, m/z, onto the plane of an imaging detector. However, it is generally difficult to find techniques that optimize both of these parameters simultaneously. The use of pulsed electric fields allows a second order focussing of the ions according to their m/z value, whilst limiting the loss of spatial resolution, albeit over a limited mass range. Here we present a simple method for rescaling the parameters in a pulsed extraction experiment in order to access different mass ranges, whilst still achieving the benefits of simultaneous optimization of mass and spatial resolutions.

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