Determination of Brominated Flame Retardants by Soft Laser Desorption/Ionization-Mass Spectrometry Using a Germanium Nanodot Chip as an Ionization Platform

摘要

Determination of brominated flame retardants added to plastic materials has became an important subject from the point of view of environmental risk management. Brominated flame retardants are, however, difficult to determine by conventional mass spectrometric technologies using atmospheric chemical ionization (APCI), electrospray ionization (ESI), as well as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), probably due to their sensitivity to heat and light. We have developed a novel matrix-free soft laser desorption/ionization technique using a self-assembled germanium nanodots (GeNDs) as an ionization platform, termed as GeND-MS. In this study, GeND-MS was applied for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are regulated in European Union under restriction on hazardous substances (RoHS) directive in 2006.