Synthesis of tellurium nanosheet for use in matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of small molecules

Two-dimensional tellurium nanosheets were prepared by a hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffractometry, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The nanosheets were explored as a novel matrix for desorption/ionization of small molecules including nucleobases, fatty acids and amino acids by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The results show that the tellurium nanosheets have good UV light absorption, cause low matrix ion interference in the low-molecule-mass region, and have high desorption/ionization efficiency in the negative ion mode. Hence, they are a viable matrix for negative ion desorption/ionization in MALDI-TOF MS of small molecules. In order to investigate the desorption/ionization mechanisms, benzylpyridinium salt and bisphenol A were adopted as probes. The results show that both of the electronic transitions mechanism and laser-induced thermal mechanism play important roles in desorption/ionization process.