Mass spectrometry at the air-water interface

In this Young Scholar Perspective, the history, applications, and outlook of a unique methodology, field induced droplet ionization mass spectrometry (FIDI-MS) are discussed. FIDI-MS is capable of selective in situ sampling of molecules that reside at the air-water interface of droplets right after chemical reactions without any sample handling or transfer, and suffers minimal influence from the bulk of the solution. Its applications in studying the air-water interface chemistry in the contexts of molecular biology, atmospheric chemistry, molecular recognition, and the insights it has brought to these fields are introduced in this Perspective. Looking to the future, we anticipate that further development and applications of FIDIMS in various fields will be an avenue rich with opportunities. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

FIDI-MS is a unique methodology capable of selectively sampling molecules at the air-water interface of droplets after chemical reactions with minimal influence from the solution. Its applications in various fields such as molecular biology and atmospheric chemistry, as well as the insights it has brought to these areas, are introduced in this Perspective. Future developments and applications of FIDI-MS in different fields are anticipated to be rich with opportunities.