Nylon nanoweb with TiO 2 nanoparticles as a solid matrix for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

RATIONALE The solid matrices used for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS) enable the analysis of small molecules by preventing fragmentations of organic matrix molecules in the low mass‐to‐charge ratio ( m/z ) range. In this work, a nylon nanoweb with TiO 2 particles was developed as a solid matrix for MALDI‐TOFMS to improve the low intensities of mass peaks, narrow detection ranges and low signal‐to‐noise levels. METHODS The nylon nanoweb with TiO 2 particles was prepared by simultaneously electrospinning a nylon nanoweb and electrospraying TiO 2 nanoparticles measuring 25 nm in diameter to form TiO 2 spheres 300 nm in diameter. RESULTS MS of multiple analytes was demonstrated in the low molecular weight range using eight amino acids. Additionally, leucine‐enkephalin (555.6 g/mol) and cyclic citrullinated peptide (1668 g/mol) were used as model analytes to test the feasibility of a nylon nanoweb containing TiO 2 particles as a solid matrix for MALDI‐TOFMS. CONCLUSIONS The nylon nanoweb with TiO 2 particles can be applied for the detection of volatile small molecule analytes in the m/z ratio range of small molecules. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.