Hybrid Core-shell Particles for Metabolite Detection by Laser Desorption/ionization Mass Spectrometry

Metal oxide coated silica core-shell particles were utilized for the analysis of low-molecular weight metabolites using laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS). The use of metal oxide-silica coating (SiO
₂
-NH2@MO
₂
) as a matrix avoided the fragmentation of analytes and provided good reproducibility and high salt tolerance, highlighting the potential matrix efficiency for bio sample analysis. This work not only opens a new field for hybrid metal oxide materials for LDI MS application, but also offers a sensitive and accurate biomarker detection approach in the growing field of metabolomics for disease diagnostics.