Energetic Materials as Matrices for MALDI-TOFMS Analysis of High-Molecular-Weight Polyvinylidene Fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene

Since the invention of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), this method has lent itself well to the analysis of a wide range of macromolecules including synthetic polymers. However, MALDI sources and the matrices commonly used in polymer analysis have proven to be incapable of ionizing certain families of polymers. One particularly challenging polymer for MALDI-TOFMS analysis is linear copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and chlorotrifluoroethylene (VDF-co-CTFE), the analysis of which has not previously been demonstrated via this method. During this work, it was discovered that analysis of VDF-co-CTFE via MALDI-TOFMS is a problem that can be solved through the application of high explosives, albeit in quite a nontraditional manner. This study investigated the use of 3,3′-diamino-4,4′-azoxyfurazan (DAAF) and triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB), two high explosives, as MALDI matrices in combination with various trifluoroacetate salts. The use of these explosives as a matrix allows for the first demonstration of the ionization, detection, and analysis of various lots of a VDF-co-CTFE polymer using MALDI-TOFMS.