On-line coupling of a microelectrode array equipped poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip with an integrated graphite electrospray emitter for electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

Abstract

A novel method for the manufacturing of microchips for on-chip combinations of electrochemistry (EC) and sheathless electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is described. The technique, which does not require access to clean-room facilities, is based on the incorporation of an array of gold microcoil electrodes into a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microflow channel equipped with an integrated graphite based sheathless ESI emitter. Electrochemical measurements, which were employed to determine the electroactive area of the electrodes and to test the microchips, show that the manufacturing process was reproducible and that the important interelectrode distance in the electrochemical cell could to be adequately controlled. The EC-ESI-MS device was evaluated based on the ESI-MS detection of the oxidation products of dopamine. The results demonstrate that the present on-chip approach enables full potentiostatic control of the electrochemical cell and the attainment of very short transfer times between the electrochemical cell and the electrospray emitter. The transfer times were 0.6 and 1.2 s for flow rates of 1.0 and 0.5 µL min⁻¹, respectively, while the electrochemical conversion efficiency of the electrochemical cell was found to be 30% at a flow rate of 0.5 µL min⁻¹. To decouple the electrochemical cell from the ESI-MS high voltage and to increase the user-friendliness, the on-line electrochemistry-ESI-MS experiments were performed using a wireless Bluetooth battery-powered instrument with the chip floating at the potential induced by the ESI high voltage. The described on-chip EC-ESI-MS device can be used for fundamental electrochemical investigations as well as for applications based on the use of electrochemically controlled sample pretreatment, preconcentration and ionisation steps prior to ESI-MS.