김승현 (동국대학교 화학과)

김영관 (동국대학교 화학과)

김승현 (동국대학교 화학과)

김영관 (동국대학교 화학과)

MXene is used as a matrix for laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOF-MS) analysis of small molecules owing to its high laser absorption capacity, electrical conductivity and photothermal conversion properties. However, pristine MXene has been suffered from interference in low m/z region owing to its undesired fragmentation by laser irradiation, and thus it is an important issue to develop a surface functionalization strategy to relieve its undesired fragmentation during LDI-TOF-MS analysis. In this study, we functionalized the surface of MXene with phosphoric acid ligands which have a strong affinity to TiO2 formed on the surface of MXene through partial oxidation. The surface functionalization of MXene with those ligands was successfully confirmed with various analytical techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Zeta potential measurements. The surface functionalized MXenes showed better resolution, detection limit, dynamic range, and more clear background in low m/z region for LDI-TOF-MS analysis of small molecules than pristine MXene. This study demonstrated the importance of surface functionalization of MXene for successful LDI-TOF-MS analysis of small molecules.