Why use AP/MALDI instead of traditional MALDI?
There are several advantages afforded by AP/MALDI over vacuum MALDI. Firstly, the fact that AP/MALDI operates at atmospheric pressure offers the opportunity to utilize liquid matrices and matrices that are not vacuum compatible. This makes AP/MALDI a very versatile instrument for a variety of samples. Secondly, the AP/MALDI method has shown indications to be an even “softer” ionization technique than vacuum MALDI due to fast thermalization of the ion internal energy at atmospheric conditions. This feature is important in the analysis of labile biomolecules and non-covalent complexes. Thirdly, AP/MALDI is decoupled from the mass analyzer. This decoupling allows AP/MALDI to be interfaced with ion trap instruments or any other MS system equipped with an API (typically those which use ESI). Ion trap instruments allow MS/MS analysis which is much more powerful and easier to perform than PSD (post-source decay) using TOF instruments. Finally, AP/MALDI is the most cost-effective way to get MS
