Thermal desorption part 2: applications in analytical measurement

The past 30 years have seen increasing availability of methods and equipment using thermal desorption for the measurement of airborne substances. These methods offer excellent sensitivity and are well-suited to automation and, in particular, diffusive sampling, a sampling technique which is both easier to use and less obtrusive than pumped sampling. With advances in equipment, thermal desorption is being used in an increasingly wide variety of applications. The capabilities and limitations of thermal desorption equipment and measurement methods were the subject of AMC Technical Brief No. 97. This supplementary Technical Brief aims to illustrate the uses and applications of thermal desorption methods in analytical measurement.