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Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Principle

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Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the most widely used plasma source in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), also known as Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The ICP source, or torch, consists of three concentric quartz tubes with argon gas flowing through them. A spark from a Tesla coil initiates the ionization of argon, generating a high-temperature plasma.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Quantitative Detection of Trace Explosive Vapors by Programmed Temperature Desorption Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detector

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Air-Based Porous Array Dielectric Barrier Discharge Ionization Source for Explosive Trace Detection.

Tianyi Zhao¹, Jie Ren¹, Zihang Jia¹

¹School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.

Analytical Chemistry

|July 4, 2026

Summary

A new atmospheric pressure ionization source using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) offers sensitive explosive trace detection. This compact, reagent-free technology enhances safety and security screening.

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Area of Science:

Analytical Chemistry
Mass Spectrometry
Materials Science

Background:

Explosive trace detection (ETD) is crucial for security applications.
Existing methods often face limitations in sensitivity, portability, or operational complexity.
Atmospheric pressure ionization sources are desirable for field deployable mass spectrometry.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and validate a novel atmospheric pressure ionization source for explosive trace detection.
To balance practical application requirements with high detection performance.
To develop a compact, efficient, and reagent-free ionization source for next-generation ETD.

Main Methods:

Development of a porous array dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) ionization source on a printed circuit board (PCB).
Utilized air as the discharge gas with a countercurrent gas flow system.
Employed pulsed discharge operation to reduce interference, power consumption, and enhance source lifetime.

Main Results:

Achieved large-area discharge with ion currents exceeding 300 nA, improving ion generation efficiency.
Countercurrent gas flow effectively mitigated ozone and nitrogen oxide interference.
Demonstrated good linear response over two orders of magnitude for nitro explosives (TNT, RDX, etc.) using a miniature digital linear ion trap mass spectrometer, with a low detection limit (0.0025 ng for 2,4-DNT).

Conclusions:

The proposed DBD ionization source offers a compact, soft ionization method for explosive trace detection.
The design eliminates the need for additional reagents or consumable gases, simplifying operation.
This technology presents a feasible solution for advancing mass-spectrometry-based explosive trace detection systems.