Abstract
We describe a modified commercially available thermal deposition unit that incorporates a post-column mixing cell for gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) effluent and matrix solution prior to continuous deposition onto a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) sample target. This modification overcomes the shortcomings of using a prefabricated matrix foil. This GPC MALDI method with time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometry is demonstrated by the analysis of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) sample used in the production of implantable device materials.