Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry as a Potential Tool for Evaluation of Hydroxylation Degree of Various Types of Titanium Dioxide Materials

Abstract

For many applications, TiO2 must have a unique surface structure responsible for its desirable physicochemical properties. Therefore the fast and easy methods of TiO2 surface characterization are of great interest. Heated TiO2 samples and dye-modified TiO2 samples were analyzed by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. In the negative ion mode, two types of ions were detected, namely (TiO2)n− and (TiO2)nOH−. It has been established that the samples can be differentiated based on the relative ion abundances, especially with respect to the free hydroxyl group population. It indicates that laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry has the potential for the investigation of the surface properties of various TiO2 materials.