The ability of mass spectrometry to generate intact biomolecular ions efficiently in the gas phase has led to its widespread application in metabolomics, proteomics, biological imaging, biomarker discovery and clinical assays (namely neonatal screens). Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization have been at the forefront of these developments. However, matrix application complicates the use of MALDI for cellular, tissue, biofluid and microarray analysis and can limit the spatial resolution because of the matrix crystal size (typically more than 10 mum), sensitivity and detection of small compounds (less than 500 Da). Secondary-ion mass spectrometry has extremely high lateral resolution (100 nm) and has found biological applications although the energetic desorption/ionization is a limitation owing to molecular fragmentation. Here we introduce nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS), a tool for spatially defined mass analysis. NIMS uses 'initiator' molecules trapped in nanostructured surfaces or 'clathrates' to release and ionize intact molecules adsorbed on the surface. This surface responds to both ion and laser irradiation. The lateral resolution (ion-NIMS about 150 nm), sensitivity, matrix-free and reduced fragmentation of NIMS allows direct characterization of peptide microarrays, direct mass analysis of single cells, tissue imaging, and direct characterization of blood and urine.

The fine hair adhesive system found in nature is capable of reversibly adhering to just about any surface. This dry adhesive, best demonstrated in the pad of the gecko, makes use of a multilevel conformal structure to greatly increase inelastic surface contact, enhancing short range interactions and producing significant amounts of attractive forces. Recent work has attempted to reproduce and test the terminal submicrometre 'hairs' of the system. Here we report the first batch fabricated multi-scale conformal system to mimic nature's dry adhesive. The approach makes use of massively parallel MEMS processing technology to produce 20-150 µm platforms, supported by single slender pillars, and coated with ∼2 µm long, ∼200 nm diameter, organic looking polymer nanorods, or 'organorods'. To characterize the structures a new mesoscale nanoindenter adhesion test technique has been developed. Experiments indicate significantly improved adhesion with the multiscale system. Additional processing caused a hydrophilic to hydrophobic transformation of the surface and testing indicated further improvement in adhesion.

A synthetic, fully reversible, switchable, gecko‐inspired adhesive is presented. The biomimetic system is composed of flexible nickel paddles coated with aligned vertical polymeric nanorods. When subjected to a magnetic field, adhesion decreases by a factor of 40. The ability of the adhesive to controllably stick and release from a surface could enable technologies from ubiquitous latching systems to climbing microrobotics.

The surface structure of porous silicon used in desorption/ionization on porous silicon (DIOS) mass analysis is known to play a primary role in the desorption/ionization (D/I) process. In this study, mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to examine the correlation between intact ion generation with surface ablation and surface morphology. The DIOS process is found to be highly laser energy dependent and correlates directly with the appearance of surface ions (Si n ϩ and OSiH ϩ ). A threshold laser energy for DIOS is observed (10 mJ/cm 2 ), which supports that DIOS is driven by surface restructuring and is not a strictly thermal process. In addition, three DIOS regimes are observed that correspond to surface restructuring and melting. These results suggest that higher surface area silicon substrates may enhance DIOS performance. A recent example that fits into this mechanism is the surface of silicon nanowires, which has a high surface energy and concomitantly requires lower laser energy for analyte desorption. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2007, 18, 1945-1949

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