Multi-channel electrospray emitter
Provided is a multi-channel electrospray emitter. The emitter includes a plurality of separate or distinct capillaries, each capillary being one channel and terminating in a nozzle, from which the analyte is sprayed. The nozzles may be raised above a face of the electrospray emitter. The multi-channel electrospray emitter may comprise a microstructured fiber. In one embodiment, the microstructured fiber may be a photonic crystal fiber.
1. An electrospray emitter comprising:
a microstructured fibre;
a plurality of capillaries formed through the microstructured fibre;
a coating material disposed on inside walls of the capillaries, the coating material projecting outwardly from a face of the electrospray emitter so as to provide a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle corresponding to a capillary;
wherein each nozzle is located in a depression in the face of the electrospray emitter.
2. The electrospray emitter of claim 1 , wherein the capillaries are arranged in a substantially parallel relationship within the microstructured fibre.
3. The electrospray emitter of claim 1 , wherein the microstructured fibre comprises a photonic crystal fibre.
4. The electrospray emitter of claim 1 , wherein the coating material disposed on inside walls of the capillaries is a polymer.
5. The electrospray emitter of claim 4 , wherein the polymer is a divinylbenzene (DVB) material selected from polystyrene-divinyl benzene, a DVB homopolymer, DVB-vinylpyridine, DVB-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA), and DVB-acrylonitrile, or a polymer selected from methyl, butyl, or stearyl methacrylate-EDMA, polyacrylamide-bisacrylamide, cyclodextrin, polyurethane, epoxy, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), a charged polymer, and polyethyleneimine (PEI).
6. The electrospray emitter of claim 1 , wherein the number of nozzles is from 2 to 200.
7. The electrospray emitter of claim 1 , wherein the electrospray emitter is used with a mass spectrometer.
8. A system for electrospray ionization of molecules, comprising the electrospray emitter of claim 1 .
9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a mass spectrometer.
10. A method for producing an electrospray of a solution, comprising:
applying the solution to the electrospray emitter of claim 1 ; and
applying a potential difference to the electrospray emitter;
wherein an electrospray of the solution is produced.