Generation of multiple electrosprays using microfabricated emitter arrays for improved mass spectrometric sensitivity.
Arrays of microelectrospray emitters were fabricated on polycarbonate substrates using a laser etching technique. Stable multielectrosprays were successfully generated in the liquid flow rate range relevant to mass spectrometric applications. Comparison of electrosprays generated from the microfabricated emitter array and conventional fused-silica capillaries showed similar spray characteristics and reliability. Higher total electrospray ion currents were observed as the number of electrosprays increased at a given total liquid flow rate. Consistent with the theoretical prediction, the total spray current at a constant total liquid flow rate was shown experimentally to be approximately proportional to the square root of the number of electrosprays. It is further projected that when total flow rate is optimized the maximum achievable total current will be proportional to the number of emitters. Evaluation of the multielectrospray device using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer showed a factor of 2-3 sensitivity enhancement for the spray numbers ranging from two to nine compared to a conventional single electrospray ionization source under the same operating conditions.
Tang
K
K
Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA.
Lin
Y
Y
Matson
D W
DW
Kim
T
T
Smith
R D
RD
D000465:Algorithms; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000295:instrumentation*