From Caffeine to Protein: the Detection of a Wide Range of Molecules by Surface Acoustic Wave Nebulization (sawn) Mass Spectrometry

Surface acoustic waves (SAW) can be generated along the surface of a piezoelectric material and efficiently transferred into fluid deposited on the surface to induce its nebulization. Recently, we demonstrated that surface acoustic wave nebulization (SAWN) can produce ions that are readily detectable by mass spectrometry (MS). Here we present the detailed fabrication process of a SAWN chip and demonstrate the ability of SAWN to generate ions from a variety of analytes ranging from small molecules (MW~100Da) to whole protein (MW>10kDa). The development of this new soft-ionization process holds the potential to bridge the gap between microfluidics and mass spectrometry.