Effects of Thermal Treatment on Laser Generated Aerosols using LA-ETV-ICP-MS
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Canadian journal of analytical sciences and spectroscopy |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Analytic chemistry |
| Keywords | LA-ICP-MS; aerosols; ETV; elemental |
| Description | Aerosol particle size distribution is generally known to be critical for complete sample vaporization upon introduction into an ICP discharge. Particle size dependent composition of laser-produced aerosols has been proved to be responsible for ICP-induced elemental fractionation. The modification of the particle size distribution has been studied based on heating a laser-generated aerosol by means of an electrothermal vaporizer (ETV) installed between an ablation cell and an ICP torch. Overall, 21 singlemetal targets were ablated and heated up by the ETV prior to entering into the ICP discharge. Brass and steel samples were also studied as multielement samples. The aim of this study was a) to modify the particle size distribution towards reduced diameters b) to determine the elemental dependence of the vaporization process, and c) to determine elementdependent laser-induced phase separation into different particle sizes. It was observed that the vaporization depended on melting points of metals, and the particle size distribution could be reduced for low-melting elements. Ablation experiments with brass and steel samples revealed that some elements were separated into individual particle sizes. Signals originating from particles produced by ablation of a zinc target behave similarly in the ETV to Zn signals generated in brass. These studies can be used to indicate the particle vaporization behaviour within the ICP, even knowing that the temperatures used within the ETV are lower than in an ICP. |
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