The influence of matrix and laser energy on the molecular mass distribution of synthetic polymers obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS

The molecular mass distribution (MMD) obtained in synthetic polymer characterization by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) may be biased by preferential desorption/ionization of low mass polymer molecules, preferential ion attachment to larger polymers, or degradation and fragmentation due to the desorption process. In this study we focus on the effect of matrix and laser energy on the MMD...