Use of Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry to Elucidate Architectural Dispersity within Star Polymers.

The power of ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) as an analytical technology for differentiating macromolecular architecture is demonstrated. The presence of architectural dispersity within a sample is probed by sequentially measuring both the drift time and the mass-to-charge ratio for every component within a polymer sample. The utility of this technology is demonstrated by investigating three poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) architectures with closely related average molecular weights of about 9000 Da: a linear PEG, an unevenly branched miktoarm star PEG, and evenly branched homoarm star PEGs. The three architectures were readily distinguished when analyzed separately as "pure" architectures or when analyzed as mixtures. IMS-MS results are contrasted with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-MS and viscometry measurements.