Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is ideal for the characterization of adsorbed proteins due to its chemical specificity and surface sensitivity. We have employed ToF-SIMS and multivariate analysis to determine the surface composition of adsorbed protein films from binary mixtures, blood serum, and blood plasma. Good correlation between ToF-SIMS data and independent radiolabeling studies was achieved for binary mixtures, though these results depended on the substrate. Qualitative insight into the composition of the serum and plasma protein films was obtained via comparison to standard single protein film spectra. ToF-SIMS and multivariate analysis were able to measure the surface composition of multicomponent adsorbed protein films. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.