3D Chemical Image using TOF-SIMS Revealing the Biopolymer Component Spatial and Lateral Distributions in Biomass

1. Seokwon Jung¹, 
2. Dr. Marcus Foston^1,3, 
3. Dr. Udaya C. Kalluri², 
4. Dr. Gerald A. Tuskan²,
5. Prof. Dr. Arthur J. Ragauskas^1,*

Article first published online: 25 OCT 2012

DOI: 10.1002/anie.201205243

Show me inside: 3D time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) with a dual-beam mode allows detecting the characteristic biopolymers from surface to subsurface in plant cell walls. Lateral and vertical distribution of major components can thereby be mapped to understand the structural architecture of plant cell walls at under sub-micrometer scales (see picture: green=cellulose, red=lignin).