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Abstract
Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-mass spectrometry (MS) and electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS can cover the analysis of analytes from low to high polarities. Thus, an ion source that possesses these two ionization functions is useful. Atmospheric surface-assisted ionization (ASAI), which can be used to ionize polar and nonpolar analytes in vapor, liquid, and solid forms, was demonstrated in this study. The ionization of analytes through APCI or ESI was induced from the surface of a metal substrate such as a titanium slab. ASAI is a contactless approach operated at atmospheric pressure. No electric contacts nor any voltages were required to be applied on the metal substrate during ionization. When placing samples with high vapor pressure in condensed phase underneath a titanium slab close to the inlet of the mass spectrometer, analytes can be readily ionized and detected by the mass spectrometer. Furthermore, a sample droplet (~2 μL) containing high-polarity analytes, including polar organics and biomolecules, was ionized using the titanium slab. One titanium slab is sufficient to induce the ionization of analytes occurring in front of a mass spectrometer applied with a high voltage. Moreover, this ionization method can be used to detect high volatile or polar analytes through APCI-like or ESI-like processes, respectively.
Highlights
Mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely used as an analytical tool to determine molecular weights and structure information for a variety of analytes
We have successfully developed a simple ionization approach, assisted ionization (ASAI), on the basis of the use of a titanium slab as the ion source
The titanium slab can assist the ionization of analytes with different polarities either through atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-like or electrospray ionization (ESI)-like processes
Summary
Mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely used as an analytical tool to determine molecular weights and structure information for a variety of analytes. The ESI process is initiated when a high voltage is applied to a metal emitter, leading to a charge re-distribution and separation in the eluted droplet for the formation of the Taylor cone. No voltage was directly applied to the tissue paper, the ionization of analytes occurred due to the polarization of the sample droplet on the tissue paper, induced by the high electric field provided by the mass spectrometer [25,26]. The Taylor cone was formed on the sample droplet towards the inlet of the mass spectrometer to initialize ionization of analytes through ESI. Multiple-charged ions derived from peptides and proteins were observed These setups are simple because a high-voltage power supply, metal ionization emitters, and electric cables are eliminated. Samples in either the gas phase or condensed phase can be directly ionized at atmospheric pressure by using this approach
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