Research time!

Let me just start by saying the work I'll be talking about today is published and if you'd like to read it, here's the link! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003267019308219

I've outlined the problems I tackled for this project, so let me tell you why we chose to use thread.

Thread. is. cheap. It's also easily accessible. The spool of thread I bought when I started in my lab is the same spool I'm using now. So you get a lot of bang for your buck.

It also comes with a natural "tip". This is important for ambient ionization methods because you need a fine tip to generate a high enough electric field to form ions. With thread, I don't have to worry about that. With methods like paper or blade spray, you'd need to do that.

Another benefit to thread is that it's made from the same material as paper, cellulose, making it easy to functionalize.

For this work, I modified the surface so it was hydrophobic in order to decrease its detection limits.

Now this is not to say regular thread isn't sensitive, it is. The hydrophobic thread just has other added benefits.