Advances in application of microplasmas for non-metallic species analysis by optical spectrometry

Non-metallic species exert significant impacts on ecological environments, human health, and food safety, necessitating sensitive and accurate detection methods. Microplasmas have emerged as a promising solution for developing field analysis methods for non-metallic species, characterized by small size, low power consumption, atmospheric pressure operation, and versatile excitation, atomization, and vapor generation capabilities. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in microplasma-based optical spectrometry for the analysis of non-metallic species. The applications are discussed from two perspectives: microplasmas as atomizers or excitation sources for optical emission spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry, and atomic fluorescence spectrometry; microplasma-induced vapor generation as a green and efficient sample introduction technique. Emphasis is placed on microplasma source configurations, sample introduction strategies, hyphenation with separation and preconcentration techniques, and analytical performance for representative non-metallic species. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives are proposed. This review provides a reference for further innovation and development of microplasma techniques in non-metallic species analysis.