Wu, Vincen; Tillner, J; Jones, E; McKenzie, J S; Gurung, D; Mroz, A; Poynter, L; Simon, D; Grau, C; Altafaj, X; Dumas, M-E; Gilmore, I S; Bunch, J; Takats, Z (2022) High Resolution Ambient MS Imaging of Biological Samples by Desorption Electro-Flow Focussing Ionization. Analytical Chemistry, 94 (28). pp. 10035-10044. ISSN 0003-2700

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Abstract

In this study, we examine the suitability of desorption electroflow focussing ionisation (DEFFI) for mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of biological tissue. We also compare the performance between DESI with and without the flow focusing setup. The main potential advantages of applying flow focusing mechanism in DESI is its rotationally symmetric electrospray jet, higher intensity, more controllable parameters, and its better portability due to the robustness of the sprayer. The parameters for DEFFI have therefore been thoroughly optimized, primarily for spatial resolution but also for intensity. Once the parameters has been optimized, DEFFI produce similar images to the existing DESI. MS images for mouse brain samples, acquired at a nominal pixel size of 50 µm, are comparable for both DESI setup, albeit the new sprayer design yield better sensitivity. Furthermore, the two methods are compared with regard to spectral intensity as well as the area of the desorbed crater on the rhodamine coated slide. Overall, the implementation of a flow focusing mechanism in DESI is shown to be highly suitable for imaging biological tissue and has potential to overcome some of the shortcomings currently experienced with the current geometrical design of DESI.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Nanoscience > Surface and Nanoanalysis
Divisions:	Chemical & Biological Sciences
Identification number/DOI:	10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00345
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2026 14:19
URI:	https://eprintspublications.npl.co.uk/id/eprint/10583