I have been working on a polysilane which is non-meltable and non-soluble in all common polar and non-polar solvents. Can I get any idea of the molar mass of this polymer using MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy?
In a case of insoluble substances there is a way to obtain MALDI mass spectra which is based on thorough grinding of the sample with crystalline matrix (for instance, in vibration mill). The quasi homogeneous mixture obtained can be applied on a target plate. This method works good for some polymers, but there are a lot of compounds which cannot be analyzed using such "dry" technique.