A practical interface for microfluidics and nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry

We report a new method for fabricating nanospray ionization tips for MS, formed from glass substrates and the inert polymer, parylene-C. Using a single photolithography step, the emitters are formed contiguously with microchannels, such that no dead volumes are observed. In addition, because the devices are very thin (approximately 0.3 mm) and the tips are formed at rectangular corners, the Taylor cone volumes are small, which makes the method attractive for future integration with microfluidic separations. Device performance was demonstrated by evaluating diverse analytes, ranging from synthetic polymers, to peptides, to nucleic acids. For all analytes, performance was similar to that of conventional emitters (pulled-glass capillaries and the Agilent HPLC Chip) with the advantage of rapid, batch fabrication of identical devices.