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A Practical Guide on Coupling a Scanning Mobility Sizer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer SMPS-ICPMS
Published on: July 11, 2017
Single-Pulse Response LA-ICP-MS Imaging with Quadrupole Instrumentation: Theoretical Considerations and Practical
Jakob Willner1, Lukas Brunnbauer1, Maximilian Podsednik1
1Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics, Research Group for Surface Analytics, Trace Analytics and Chemometry, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/164-I2AC, Vienna 1060, Austria.
Single-pulse response (SPR) imaging is now feasible with quadrupole-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-Q-MS). This study explores its potential and limitations for elemental mapping, demonstrating its applicability in life sciences.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Mass Spectrometry
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Recent advances in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), including rapid response cells and high-repetition rate lasers, necessitate ICP-MS improvements.
- Inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ICP-TOF-MS) enabled simultaneous multielement detection for short transient signals, leading to single-pulse response (SPR) imaging.
- Quadrupole-based ICP-MS (ICP-Q-MS), while prevalent, has not utilized SPR imaging due to sequential mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility, potential, and limitations of SPR-based imaging using ICP-Q-MS.
- To evaluate the relationship between cycle time and signal stability for SPR imaging on ICP-Q-MS.
- To assess the impact of dwell times on image quality and artifacts in SPR imaging with ICP-Q-MS.
Main Methods:
- Investigated signal stability of 107Ag/109Ag during NIST SRM 612 ablation to understand cycle time effects.
- Evaluated the influence of varying dwell times on image quality and artifacts using a test structure.
- Demonstrated SPR multielement imaging of Haematococcus pluvialis cell samples, detecting 4 elements at 100 Hz pixel acquisition rate.
Main Results:
- Confirmed theoretical relationships between peak width, laser repetition rate, and dwell times.
- Identified effects of different dwell times on image quality and artifacts.
- Achieved SPR-based LA-ICP-Q-MS imaging with a pixel acquisition rate of 100 Hz for life science applications.
Conclusions:
- SPR-based imaging is feasible with ICP-Q-MS, overcoming previous limitations.
- The study provides a foundation for applying SPR imaging to ICP-Q-MS systems.
- Demonstrated the utility of SPR imaging with ICP-Q-MS for elemental analysis in biological samples.
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