Abstract

Aspects of laser ablation sample introduction for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) have been investigated. For some analytes, nonrepresentative subsampling or fractionation is the major cause of poor analytical accuracy. Fractionation is prevalent for ablation at low laser fluence and with multiple laser pulses incident on the same area of the sample surface. The fluence dependence is explained by the relative depths of the melt- and heat-affected zones. Volatile analyte elements that are segregated in the bulk, or become segregated as the ablation zone is heated, are most prone to fractionation. For metal alloys, the extent of fractionation can be qualitatively predicted from the binary-phase diagram of the corresponding analyte matrix. Analysis by Auger electron spectroscopy showed that miscible elements may also be segregated at the near surface, with the extent of segregation growing with multiple laser pulses. Such segregation results in increased fractionation.

Effect of ablation behavior on the matrix effect in nanosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Xiaocheng Zhang, Jiuling Meng, and Tao Lü
Appl. Opt. 59(31) 9836-9843 (2020)

Multielemental analysis of prehistoric animal teeth by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Michaela Galiová, Jozef Kaiser, Francisco J. Fortes, Karel Novotný, Radomír Malina, Lubomír Prokeš, Aleš Hrdlička, Tomáš Vaculovič, Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Jiří Svoboda, Viktor Kanický, and Javier J. Laserna
Appl. Opt. 49(13) C191-C199 (2010)

Stoichiometry of laser ablated brass nanoparticles in water and air

D. N. Patel, Pramod K. Pandey, and Raj K. Thareja
Appl. Opt. 52(31) 7592-7601 (2013)

Stoichiometric investigations of laser-ablated brass plasma

D. N. Patel, P. K. Pandey, and R. K. Thareja
Appl. Opt. 51(7) B192-B200 (2012)

Surface elemental microanalysis with submicron lateral resolution by the laser-ablation laser-induced fluorescence technique

J. Kang, Y. R. Wang, R. H. Li, and Y. Q. Chen
Opt. Express 26(11) 14689-14699 (2018)