Automated and robotic sample delivery systems for mass spectrometry and ion-mobility spectrometry

Abstract

Mass spectrometry (MS) and ion-mobility spectrometry (IMS) are two complementary tools enabling atomic and molecular analysis. While MS provides mass-to-charge ratio values and fragmentation patterns facilitating molecular identification, IMS enables rapid separation of chemical species by size. The two techniques are often combined to benefit from the advantages offered by both. To match the needs of contemporary research and industrial activities, these techniques have been upgraded by integrating them with automated and robotic sample delivery systems. Automation eliminates or decreases human labor involved in sample handling. It also allows for high-throughput analysis, thus increasing productivity. This is especially important considering the capital cost of MS. The common approaches to automation involve the use of autosamplers, flow-injection analysis systems, microfluidics, and robotics. In this perspective, we highlight single-cell analysis as a prominent application area of automated MS methods.