Issue 23, 2011

Sensitivity improvement in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry achieved using a methane/argon and methanol/water/argon mixed gas plasma

Abstract

The influence of the addition of carbon using methane or methanol/water to an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) via the carrier gas flow on the sensitivity in laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was studied. During the ablation of SRM NIST 610 with simultaneous addition of CH4 (0.6–1.4 ml min−1), a sensitivity enhancement of more than one order of magnitude for selected analytes (e.g.75As+) was observed. In addition to the sensitivity enhancement for As, Te, I and Se, also all other measured elements showed a significantly enhanced sensitivity (minimum by a factor of 2). Potential mechanisms for the observed intensity enhancement include charge transfer reactions, a change in the ICP shape and a temperature increase in the plasma. Furthermore, the aspiration of a methanol–water mixture into a cooled spray chamber and the simultaneous addition to the laser ablated aerosol was investigated. This type of mixing leads to a sensitivity enhancement up to a factor of 20. To prevent clogging of the sampler cone and skimmer cone by carbon deposition, a fast cleaning procedure for the interface is tested during running ICP, which allows the application of such a set-up for specific applications.

Graphical abstract: Sensitivity improvement in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry achieved using a methane/argon and methanol/water/argon mixed gas plasma

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Nov 2010
Accepted
26 Jul 2011
First published
01 Sep 2011

Analyst, 2011,136, 4925-4934

Sensitivity improvement in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry achieved using a methane/argon and methanol/water/argon mixed gas plasma

D. Fliegel, C. Frei, G. Fontaine, Z. Hu, S. Gao and D. Günther, Analyst, 2011, 136, 4925 DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00953A

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