Information about known solvent mixtures that are compatible with electrospray ionisation, application notes, and examples from the literature of experiments conducted using one of our sources can be found either below or by clicking the publications link in the menu above.
Electrospray solvents & solutions
The table below contains a selection of non-volatile, fragile or complex molecules that have been successfully deposited on surfaces in high or ultra-high vacuum by electrospray and the solvent mixtures used to form the spray solutions (in all cases the simplest solvent mixture is given – other combinations may work equally well or the spray may be enhanced by the addition of other solvents). Figures in brackets indicate percentage solvents by volume.
| Molecule | Solvent mixture | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| PCBM | Toluene:Methanol (90:10) | Dissolve first in toluene then add methanol |
| P3HT | Toluene:Methanol (90:10) | Dissolve first in toluene then add methanol and filter |
| PCBM:P3HT Mixture | Toluene:Methanol (90:10) | Dissolve individually first in toluene then add methanol, then mix the two solutions in desired ratio |
| C60 | Toluene:Methanol (90:10) | Dissolve first in toluene then add methanol |
| Ru535 Dye (aka N3) | Methanol (100) | |
| Ru470 Dye | Methanol (100) | |
| PEDOT:PSS | Water:Methanol (50:50) | Dissolve first in water then add methanol |
| Fibronectin protein | Phosphate Saline Buffer:Methanol (50:50) | Supplied in buffer solution to which methanol is added |
| Fluorescein | Methanol (100) | |
| Gold nanoparticles | Citrate Buffer:Water (20:80) | |
| PLGA | Acetone (100) | No issues |
| PEG:PEO | Methanol (100) | |
| PVP | Methanol (100) | |
| Rhodamine 6G | Methanol (100) | |
| SQ2 Dye | Methanol (100) | |
| Mn12(acetate)16 Single molecule magnets | Methanol (100) | |
| Mn12(benzoate)16 Single molecule magnets | Methanol (100) |