Laser ablation sample introduction system for ICP-MS elemental analysis

电感耦合等离子体质谱仪（ICP-MS）的成功开发使人们能够在非常低的浓度水平上对大量元素进行快速、精确的丰度和同位素分析。该技术与通过激光烧蚀（LA）对固体材料进行微量取样的能力相结合，产生了一种能够以高灵敏度和空间分辨率测量样品中元素丰度的仪器（LA-ICP-MS）。因此，LA-ICP-MS构成了目前可用的单一最强大的微量分析技术。LA-ICP-MS的另一个属性是进行时间分辨分析的能力，其中在烧蚀到样品中的过程中监测元素丰度。该技术提供了关于样品的均匀性、离散相的亚微米级夹杂物的存在的基本信息，并且可用于量化产生瞬态信号的材料中的元素丰度，例如流体或熔体夹杂物或纳米颗粒。在大多数情况下，需要最少的样品制备。广泛的固体可以通过这种方法进行测量，包括透明玻璃，电池原料，半导体，骨骼，头发，矿物标本，金属等资金需要购买一个完整的激光烧蚀样品传输系统，包括一个213纳米激光光束传输光学，自动化阶段，烧蚀细胞，视频成像和数据处理软件。该进样系统将与位于达尔豪西健康与环境研究中心[HERC]实验室的现有Thermo Scientific iCAP Q ICP-MS耦合。因此，这一合并的样品引入和分析系统将为区域研究界提供新的分析能力，从而能够在需要微量元素微量分析的广泛领域取得进展。

The successful development of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICP-MS) now makes it possible to perform rapid, precise abundance and isotope analysis of a large array of elements at very low concentration levels. This technology, combined with the ability to microsample solid materials by laser ablation (LA), produces an instrument (LA-ICP-MS) with the ability to measure element abundances in samples with a high degree of sensitivity and spatial resolution. Thus, LA-ICP-MS constitutes the single most powerful microanalytical technique currently available. An additional attribute of LA-ICP-MS is the capacity to perform time-resolved analyses, in which the element abundance is monitored during ablation into the sample. This technique provides essential information bearing on the homogeneity of the sample, the presence of submicron-scale inclusions of discrete phases, and can be used to quantify element abundances in materials that produce transient signals, such as fluid or melt inclusions or nanoparticles. In most cases, minimal sample preparation is required. A broad range of solids can be measured by this method, including transparent glasses, battery feedstock, semiconductors, bone, hair, mineral specimens, metals, etc. Funds are requested to purchase a complete laser ablation sample delivery system, consisting of a 213 nm laser with beam delivery optics, automated stage, ablation cell, video imaging and data reduction software. This sample introduction system will be coupled to the existing Thermo Scientific iCAP Q ICP-MS located in Dalhousie’s Health and Environments Research Centre [HERC] Laboratory. This combined sample introduction and analysis system will thereby provide the regional research community with a new analytical capability, enabling advances in a wide range of areas in which trace element microanalysis is required.