Application of Laser Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for the Direct Measurement of a Silane Coupling Agent in Slurries

Laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LI-TOFMS) was applied to the direct measurement of a silane coupling agent in slurries. In the present study, a slurry with dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles treated with phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) was prepared. As a result, the peaks for PTES could be observed from the slurry sample containing unreacted PTES, and no peaks were observed from the slurry sample where unreacted PTES was removed by washing. This method can be used to directly analyze surface coating agents, such as PTES in slurries, and would be useful for obtaining a direct understanding of the characteristics of slurries.