Mitigating Unwanted Analyte–Surface Interactions in GC-MS and LC Analytical Workflows
Coatings are quietly at work all around us — protecting the products we use and shutting down interactions that could ruin performance. In analytical chemistry, unwanted interactions, like adsorption, can compromise data quality. In GC/MS and LC workflows, analytes frequently disappear, degrade, or tail when interacting with surfaces in the flow path. Historically, GC/MS users have avoided many issues with helium carrier gas. With recurring helium shortages pushing laboratories toward hydrogen, a challenge emerged: hydrogen can break down analytes inside the MS source, distorting mass spectra and causing severe peak tailing. In LC systems, biological molecules have their own set of challenges. Metal‑sensitive functional groups readily interact with stainless steel surfaces, even with passivation, mobile‑phase additives, or careful column selection, resulting in poor peak shape, low recovery, and inconsistent response. This talk explores the need for and how the use of newly engineered surface coatings improve GC/MS and LC analyses. By blocking reactive sites and stabilizing delicate analytes, these coating technologies improve chromatographic performance, boost sensitivity, and reduce data variability.