%0 Journal Article
%T Analysis of monodisperse, sequence
%A Chrys Wesdemiotis
%A Jialin Mao
%A Stephen ZD Cheng
%A Wei Zhang
%J European Journal of Mass Spectrometry
%@ 1751-6838
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1469066719828875
%X Monodisperse, sequence-defined polymers can be potentially used for digital data storage. This study reports the sequence analysis and differentiation of monodisperse polyester copolymers carrying side chains functionalized in a specific order by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles. Steglich esterification and succinic anhydride ring-opening chemistries were utilized iteratively to synthesize the intended sequences, which were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS2). Isomeric oligomers were readily distinguished based on their different fragmentation patterns. The sequences embedded in the oligomers were decrypted by their specific backbone dissociation pathways. The robustness of using MALDI-MS2 as a sequencing method for monodisperse synthetic macromolecules was assessed and validated by the characterization of longer oligomers
%K Polyester copolymers
%K isomeric sequences
%K isomer differentiation
%K MALDI
%K tandem mass spectrometry
%K sequence decoding
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1469066719828875