The emerging interface of mass spectrometry with materials

Mass spectrometry (MS), a hundred-year-old subject, has been a technique of profound importance to molecular science. Its impact in solid-state materials science has not been evident, although many materials of modern science, such as fullerenes, have their origins in MS. Of late, mass spectrometric interface with materials is increasingly strengthened with advances in atomically precise clusters of noble metals. Advances in instrumentation along with recent developments in synthetic approaches have expanded the chemistry of clusters, and new insights into matter at the nanoscale are emerging. High-resolution MS coupled with soft ionization techniques enable efficient characterization of atomically precise clusters. Apart from that, techniques such as ion mobility, tandem MS, etc. reveal structural details of these systems. Growth, nucleation, and reactivity of clusters are also probed by MS. Some of the recent advancements in this field include the development of new hyphenated techniques. Finer structural details may be obtained by coupling MS with spectroscopic tools, such as photoelectron spectroscopy, vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy, etc. With such advancements in instrumentation, MS can evolve into a universal tool for the characterization of materials. The present review captures highlights of this area.