Surface assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry(SALDI-MS) is a technique using inorganic nanoparticles and nanostructure surface as matrixes to facilitate desorption/ionization of analytes.Due to its advantages of high sensitivity,high salt tolerance,easy operation,good reproducibility and high throughput,SALDI-MS has been widely applied in the fields of food safety,environment monitoring and life science,etc.The recent development of SALDI-MS matrixes such as metal and metal oxide nanoparticles,carbon based materials,silica based materials and metal organic frameworks etc.and their applications in biological detection are summarized in this review.Finally,further perspective for the development of the novel matrixes and their potential applications are proposed.