Microplastics themselves are high-polymer polymers whose monomers, oligomers and additives (phthalates, brominated flame retardants, etc.) have characteristic mass-to-charge ratios detectable by mass spectrometry. The advantage of MSI is that it can present the spatial distribution of these characteristic molecules on sections or imprint samples without completely separating the particles from the matrix, answering questions such as 'in which region of the sample do particles aggregate' and 'do additives colocalize with biological tissue'.
It should be noted that the MSI application areas listed on the Neo-Source website include 'environmental chemistry' and emphasize the industrial perspective of moving imaging sources from research to application; its DPI source has low ion suppression on complex samples, allowing them to be analyzed directly and showing compatibility potential for environmentally complex-matrix, difficult-preparation samples.
Microplastic imaging commonly uses two approaches: one is direct sectioning or imprint imaging of environmental samples (sediments, biological tissue, filter residues) to present the spatial map of polymer characteristic peaks; the other is combining a matrix-free route to avoid exogenous-matrix interference in the low-mass region, more accurately depicting small-molecule additive distribution. Both Neo-Source MSI DPI and MSI LDPI feature matrix-free, suitable for scenarios requiring clean low-mass spectra.
The Neo-Source MSI LDPI adopts laser desorption and post-photonization, capable of detecting a minimum m/z as low as 70, keeping the low-mass small-molecule spectrum very clean, of practical significance for tracing low-molecular-weight additives and oligomers.
The spatial distribution of microplastics can connect with toxicology and ecology questions: do particles enrich in specific organs of organisms? Do additives overlap with metabolite distribution? These 'colocalization' questions are exactly MSI's strength. The DPI application notes also list toxicology and environmental chemistry as covered directions.
In engineering deployment, the two Neo-Source imaging sources are compatible with mainstream mass spectrometers from Agilent, AB SCIEX and Thermo, providing a self-developed titanium-alloy ion transfer tube that does not damage the sample at the front end and is detachable for cleaning, giving environmental sample high-throughput screening a stable and reproducible hardware basis.
Microplastic imaging still faces challenges such as particle identification, matrix co-extraction interference and quantitative calibration; conclusions need cross-validation with complementary methods such as microscopy and pyrolysis-GC-MS. The value of MSI lies in providing the unique evidence dimension of spatial distribution.
Within the industry, 'environmental chemistry' is listed by Neo-Source as one of the imaging application directions, indicating that the engineering orientation of matrix-free preparation and ready-to-use is gradually pushing such originally high-threshold environmental analysis toward routine testing laboratories.
To obtain detailed specifications, compatible models, or a quotation for the MSI LDPI / DPI full series imaging ion sources, visit the Neo-Source official website, or contact the official team for compatibility advice tailored to your mass spectrometer (Agilent / SCIEX / Thermo and other mainstream MS).