Mass spectrometry of polymers

Abstract This chapter covers the evolutionary development of polymer mass spectrometry-based techniques and presents practical applications to illustrate their utility in materials characterization, especially in an industrial setting. Specifically, areas of interest are thoroughly reviewed, with discussions on their limitations, new trends, and future outlooks. Grouped topics include ionization techniques, modern mass analyzers, common MS/MS fragmentation techniques, ion mobility separations, and selected applications. Additionally, this chapter includes an applications section that discusses analysis approaches for industrial fouling solids, with special emphasis placed upon the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry-based techniques for systematically characterizing these intractable materials.