Determination of nanopowders using microwave plasma optical emission spectrometry operating in a single particle mode

Material science requires advanced analytical methods which allow size-fractionated and chemical quantification of powdered nanomaterials. Nanopowders can be introduced to a helium plasma by pneumatic nebulization based on fluidized bed approach and measure with a time resolution of 4-20 ms. This new analytical technique is accessible by an microwave plasma optical emission spectrometry (MWP-OES) operated in single-particle mode, providing information about their elemental composition, size, dispersity and agglomeration of nanoparticles (NPs). Next, NPs can be characterized by the corresponding element-to-element molar ratios and compared to the theoretically expected values. For a series of nanooxides, size detection limits between 5 and 250 nm are achieved at an integration time of 10 ms. For mixed nanooxides sample, satisfactory temporal resolution is obtained with particle coincidence events below 5%.