Comparison of the performance of different silicon-based SALDI substrates for illicit drug detection

•NALDITM, NIMS and DIOS can be used for the detection of amphetamines, benzodiazepines, tropane alkaloids and opiates.•Quantitative SALDI analysis is presented for oxycodone in water and PBS.•NIMS produced better LODs for oxycodone in water and PBS compared with DIOS and NALDI.•Six-month old SALDI substrates stored in ambient conditions were used for the detection of illicit drug at 100 ng/mL.

Surface-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) is an emerging technique used for the detection of small molecules (<700 Da) such as illicit drugs. In recent times, this technique has been employed for the detection of illicit drugs in various body fluids including saliva. Three common SALDI techniques, desorption ionization on porous silicon (DIOS), nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS) and nanostructured laser desorption ionization (NALDI™) are compared for the detection of four drug classes, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, opiates and tropane alkaloids. We focus in our comparison on structural and chemical characteristics, as well as analytical performance and longevity.

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