Open AccessSpray-Capillary: An Electrospray-Assisted Device for Quantitative Ultralow-Volume Sample Handling
Author(s) -
Lushuang Huang,
Zhe Wang,
Kellye A. CuppSutton,
Kenneth Smith,
Si Wu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
analytical chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.117
H-Index - 332
eISSN - 1520-6882
pISSN - 0003-2700
DOI - 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04131
Subject(s) - capillary action , chemistry , capillary electrophoresis , electrospray , chromatography , volume (thermodynamics) , analytical chemistry (journal) , capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry , quantitative analysis (chemistry) , mass spectrometry , electrospray ionization , materials science , physics , quantum mechanics , composite material
The analysis of low-volume samples provides valuable insight into complex biological systems. However, the proteomic and metabolomic analysis of low-volume samples remains challenging due to the lack of simple, efficient, and reproducible microsampling techniques. We have developed an electrospray-assisted device for quantitative low-volume sample extraction, referred to here as "Spray-Capillary". Stable electrospray was achieved through a chemically etched tip from a long (e.g., 50 cm) capillary with a conductive sheath flow. This electrospray provided the driving force to quantitatively draw low-volume samples into the capillary. We evaluated the precision and accuracy of sample injection volumes using our spray-capillary as the electrospray voltage, capillary ID, and column length were varied. Our results demonstrate that spray-capillary allows for reproducible and quantitative microsampling with low injection flow rates (as low as 15 pL/s). Furthermore, spray-capillary can be directly coupled with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for separation. Overall, spray-capillary is a simple microsampling device that holds great potential for high-throughput quantitative omics analysis of ultralow-volume samples.