| In life sciences there is an urgent need for rapid analytical techniques capable of providing a first impression about the presence of drugs, metabolites, biomarkers, flavours, environmental and food contaminants, toxic compounds, etc. without time-consuming isolation and sample preparation steps. A step in this direction is the development of biosensors based on micro- or nanotechnology. A vital part herein is the physical and chemical characterisation of the (bio)functionalised surfaces with or without the interacting substances. Essential for obtaining relevant information is a minimal change of the modified surface during the measurements. The goal of the current proposal is to use Desorption Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS) to determine the chemical composition of various surfaces and substrates under atmospheric pressure without pre-treatment. This can be done with a spatial resolution in the order of 1 mm - 20 µm. DESI is a new, soft ionisation technique capable of providing molecular weights of the various constituents present. By using controlled fragmentation, structural information can be obtained as well. The data will be analysed by comparison with reference spectra and by in silico predictions based on known compounds. Apart from the research on modified surfaces and sensors, the DESI-MS will be used for food analysis, a clinical application, natural products like pheromones and plant metabolomics. The requested equipment is the first of its kind in The Netherlands. |
