Journal
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Volume 395, Issue 3, Pages 577-589Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s00216-009-2942-2
Keywords
Microplasma (MPD); Liquid microsamples; Optical emission spectrometry; Plasma instrumentation; Electrothermal vaporization (ETV)
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada
- University of Waterloo
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A new design of a miniaturized, atmospheric-pressure, low-power (e. g., battery-operated), self-igniting, planar-geometry microplasma device (MPD) for use with liquid microsamples is described. The inexpensive MPD was a hybrid, three-substrate quartz-plastic-plastic structure and it was formed on chips with area the size of a small postage stamp. The substrates were chosen for rapid prototyping and for speedy device-geometry testing and evaluation. The similar to 700-mu m (diameter) and 7-mm (long) He-H-2 (3% H-2) microplasma was formed by applying high-voltage ac between two needle electrodes. Operating conditions were found to be critical in sustaining stable microplasma on plastic substrates. Spectral interference from the electrode materials was not observed. A small-size, electrothermal vaporization system was used for introduction of microliter volumes of liquids into the MPD. The microplasma was operated from an inexpensive power supply. And, operation from a 14.4-V battery has been demonstrated. Microplasma background emission in the spectral range between 200 and 850 nm obtained using a portable, fiber-optic spectrometer is reported. Analyte emission from microliter volumes of dilute single-element standard solutions of Cd, Cu, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb, and Zn is documented. Element-dependent precision was between 10-25% (the average was 15%) and detection limits ranged between 1.5 and 350 ng. The system was used for the determination of Na in diluted bottled-water samples.
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