Nanobubbles in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

ABSTRACT: Nanobubbles (NBs) are very small gas-filled cavities in solvents, and when their sizes reach diameters around 200 nm, they remain in solution for extended periods of time, featuring special chemical and physical properties. Here, we investigate the application of NBs in electrospray ionization. We show that the addition of CO₂ or N₂ NBs into spray solvents significantly improves signal responses of small molecules in both positive and negative modes during ESI-MS. The magnitude of the increase depends on analyte identity, solvent system, NB gas composition, and the method for preparing the NBs. When NBs are used to analyze proteins, both signal intensities and charge states increase. This is tentatively attributed to NB's increasing the total area of the hydrophobic g

SUBMITTER: Joseph G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11948179 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature