Open-Space Microfluidics

Chapter 13Development of Pipettes as Mobile Nanofluidic Devices for Mass Spectrometric Analysis

Anumita Saha-Shah and Lane A. Baker

Indiana University, Department of Chemistry, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

13.1 Introduction

Nano- and micropipettes have found wide application as sensors for chemical and biochemical analytes [1–3], platforms for nanoscale sample manipulation [4–7], and probes for scanning probe microscopies [8–11]. Perhaps the earliest and most widespread application of micropipettes is found in patch-clamp studies [12, 13] and microinjection [14], which have enabled important electrophysiological studies at the level of single ion channels [15]. More recently, dimensions of the pipette tip have reduced ...