The use of electrothermal vaporization (ETV) for sample introduction has greatly improved the sensitivity of the Spectro Arcos ICP-OES spectrometer for material analysis applications, according to the manufacturer. Trials verify that detection limits can be improved by an order of magnitude. At a much lower cost, ICP-OES penetrates the sensitivity range of glow discharge sector field mass spectrometers, opening new application areas in solid material analysis for ICP-OES.
Typically, ICP-OES samples are first dissolved and then introduced to the instrument using a nebulizer. When using electrothermal vaporization (ETV), however, the solid samples are vaporized in an oven with a temperature range up to 3,000ºC. The graphite vaporization chamber uses argon as the inert gas. After vaporization, the analyte is transported as a dry aerosol to the ICP instrument with an argon/reaction gas stream. Sample vaporization takes just two minutes.
ETV analysis opens up whole new possibilities especially for samples that are difficult to dissolve. No longer is it necessary to create solutions of ceramic materials, such as the extremely resistant silicon carbide, using time-consuming chemical digestion.
SPECTRO Analytical Instruments
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