Sample plate for matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization mass spectrometry
View Patent ↗A method of making a sample plate for mass spectrometric analysis of a specimen is provided comprising applying a mask to a substrate to form at least one sample site. The sample plate comprises a substrate having an electrically conductive surface, a mask applied to the electrically conductive surface. The mask has a rougher surface than the substrate. The sample site comprises a central portion formed from the electrically conductive surface and a marginal portion formed from the mask where the marginal portion is more hydrophobic than the central portion.
1. A method of making a sample plate for mass spectrometry comprising the steps of:
providing
a substrate with an electrically conductive surface and
a mask that is relatively more hydrophobic than the electrically conductive surface,
applying the mask to the electrically conductive surface to form a rough surface enclosing in a margin an area of the electrically conductive surface.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mask is doped using a marking agent to produce a predetermined analytic result.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying the mask further comprises applying the mask by mesh screening.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of heating the mask and substrate to bond the mask to the substrate.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mask is textured to produce the rough surface.
6. The sample plate of claim 5 wherein the mask is textured by etching the mask to form the rough surface.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the mask comprises printing the mask onto the electrically conductive surface.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of heating further comprises heating the mask and substrate to at least 50° C. to bond the mask to the substrate.
9. A method of manufacturing a sample plate for mass spectrometry provided with a substrate having an electrically conductive surface, and a mask disposed upon the substrate to form at least one sample site, wherein the mask has a rougher surface than the substrate, and wherein the sample site comprises a central portion formed from the electrically conductive surface and a marginal portion formed from the mask, the marginal portion more hydrophobic than the central portion comprising:
applying the mask to the substrate to form at least one sample site.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mask surface further comprises a mesh having a length and a width selected from a range of 30×30 μm to 500×500 μm.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the mask comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mask surface comprises a texture for promoting crystallization of the specimen adjacent the electronically conductive surface.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mask comprises a marking agent for producing a predetermined analytical result.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the electrically conductive surface comprises an electrically conductive coating.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrically conductive coating comprises an electrically conductive polymer coating.
16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substrate comprises a nonconductive material.
17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sample plate has a dimension of a microtiter plate.
18. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sample plate further comprises a reference indicator for archiving the sample plate.
19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the reference indicator comprises a surface sensitive to an ultra-violet laser light.
20. The method of claim 9 , further comprising doping the mask with a marking agent to produce a predetermined analytic result.
21. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of applying the mask further comprises applying the mask to the substrate with a screen.
22. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of heating the mask and substrate to bond the mask to the substrate.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the step of heating further comprising heating the mask and substrate to at least 50° C. to bond the mask to the substrate.
24. The method of claim 9 , further comprising texturing the mask to produce a rough surface.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the step of texturing the mask further comprises etching the mask to produce the rough surface.
26. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of applying the mask further comprises printing the mask onto the electrically conductive surface.
27. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substrate comprises a nonconductive material.
28. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sample plate has a dimension of a microtiter plate.
29. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mask comprises a synthetic polymer.