Inkjet application, chromatography, and mass spectrometry of sugars on nanostructured thin films

Ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) potentially offers faster analysis, reduced solvent and sample volumes, and lower costs. One novel technique for producing UTLC plates has been glancing angle deposition (GLAD), a physical vapor deposition technique capable of aligning macropores to produce interesting separation properties. To date, however, GLAD-UTLC plates have been restricted to model dye systems, rather than realistic analytes. This study demonstrates the transfer of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) sugar analysis methods to GLAD-UTLC plates using the office chromatography framework. A consumer inkjet printer was used to apply very sharp low volume (3–30 nL) bands of water-soluble analytes (lactose, sucrose, and fructose). Analytic performance measurements extrapolated the limits of detection to be 3–5 ng/zone, which was experimentally proven down to 60–70 ng/band, depending on the sugar. This qualitative analysis of sugars in a commercially available chocolate sample is the first reported application of GLAD-UTLC to food samples. The potential utility of GLAD-UTLC is further exemplified by successful coupling with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the first time to characterize underivatized sugars.