There is a nice review article (DOI: 10.1021/ac203126f) summarizing many of the most important techniques for characterizing phospholipid films on solid supports. The SIMS technique gets some nice press with the following statement:
“Imaging mass spectrometry allows label-free detection of individual sample constituents and components and area mapping of their distribution on a sample surface. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is the most interesting imaging technique for phospholipid film studies, as it provides high spatial resolution on the nanometer length scale”
Unfortunately, the authors have only used nanoSIMS data to illustrate their point. There is apparently some confusion about emission of molecular ions versus atomic ions. There is also an implication that MALDI is part of SIMS, which most people would not buy. However, overall, the article is an interesting study that places our method in perspective.