{"id":46940,"date":"2023-02-07T16:11:30","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T09:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiralabanalitika.com\/product\/laser-ablation-untuk-icp-ms\/"},"modified":"2023-02-09T09:59:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T02:59:51","slug":"laser-ablation-for-icp-ms","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/wiralabanalitika.com\/en\/product\/laser-ablation-for-icp-ms\/","title":{"rendered":"Laser Ablation for ICP MS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most solid materials presented for elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques require an initial sample preparation step to bring them into solution. For many sample matrices, a dissolution step is necessary in order to avoid problems of sample inhomogeneity and is often stipulated by the analysis protocol itself (for example US EPA Methods). Depending on the sample matrix, this digestion process may require the use of hot plates, microwaves or fusion assays. These procedures are normally labor and cost intensive, often requiring the use of hazardous chemicals such as concentrated acids that may lead to loss of certain analytes during the procedure and increase the potential for contamination.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>Laser ablation (LA) enables direct sampling in the solid without the need for hazardous chemicals and minimizes the potential for contamination by sample handling. It is capable of sampling almost all solid samples, including conducting samples (e.g. metals and semiconductors), non-conducting samples (e.g. mineral grains, paper and plastics) and biological materials (e.g. tissue sections). It is easily hyphenated with different ICP-MS systems depending on the type of information that is required. Quadrupole based ICP-MS systems, for example the Thermo Scientific<\/span>\u2122 <\/span>iCAP<\/span>\u2122 <\/span>RQ ICP-MS and iCAP TQ ICP-MS, allow accurate quantification, while sector field instruments, like the Thermo Scientific ELEMENT<\/span>\u2122 <\/span>HR-ICP-MS, also provide improved precision for isotope ratio determination. Multicollector ICP-MS systems, for example the Thermo Scientific<\/span>\u2122 <\/span>NEPTUNE Plus<\/span>\u2122 <\/span>MC-ICP-MS, allow isotope ratio determination with ultimate precisions for geochronology applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Detection limits in the range of ng\u00b7g-1 by LA-ICP-MS can be achieved, which on the first glance may seem high when compared to liquid sample introduction ICP-MS, but in many cases Method Detection Limits (MDL) by LA-ICP-MS can be superior after taking into account the effects of sample preparation and dilution.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are many laser ablation systems available from industry partners, each with differing wavelengths, energy output levels and pulse durations (summarized in Table 1).\u00a0 Laser ablation works on the principle of energy transfer, and generally all materials absorb better in the UV (ultraviolet) wavelength range (400 nm and below). Commercial systems are therefore typically offered with wavelengths at 266 nm, 213 nm and 193 nm. In terms of wavelength, 266 nm lasers generally penetrate deeper into sample matrices, are very effective for opaque materials and are generally used for bulk analysis. A 193 nm laser provides more fine control over depth penetration, is better suited for the analysis of more transparent materials and is often used for profiling, mapping and similar (high end) applications. 213 nm based lasers offer a good compromise in performance and is a good \u2018general use\u2019 laser system for most sample types. A good general approximation is that the more transparent (or paler) the sample matrix, the more likely a lower wavelength laser will be effective<\/span><\/p>\n

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For all laser ablation systems, the most important parameters influencing the ablation process, and hence the analytical result, are spot size, fluence and repetition rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n