Electrochemical Sensing on a Nanostructured Silicon Mass Spectrometry Surface

Abstract

Mass Spectrometry (MS) is a widely used analytical tool that provides quantitive information (molecule weight and intensity) of the analyte. Nanostructured silicon-based surface-assisted desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) provides matrix-free and high sensitivity advantages. However, the mass spectrometer is a large and expensive tool limiting the onsite screening or point-of-care testing applications. Electrochemical sensing, on the other hand, is a simple and less-expensive detection method that can be used as portable onsite screening purposes. If the nanostructure silicon (nSi) surface can be used for electrochemical sensing, it opens the possibility of using nSi surface for both electrochemical sensing and Mass Spectrometry (MS) detection. Therefore, in this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of using nSi surface for electrochemical sensing. Effects of the major nSi surface process parameters, including metal-assisted etching time and electroless Au decoration/deposition time to the electrochemical was evaluated.