A concise tutorial review of TOF-SIMS based molecular and cellular imaging

Abstract

This concise tutorial review provides a description of the current state of the art in the application of time-of flight based secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in the field of molecular and cellular imaging. The application of TOF-SIMS requires a choice of the appropriate beam combined with a signal enhancement method depending on the surface under investigation. The types of detected molecules and methods for molecular identification in SIMS are strongly determined by this combination of ionization method and sample preparation. The use of TOF-SIMS for single cell and three-dimensional imaging will be discussed in the context of selected applications. Finally we will discuss an outlook on the application of the TOF-SIMS technology in a multimodal molecular imaging context.