Spectroscopic Studies of Emission from an Electrodeless Plasma Gun Direct Solid Sampling Source

Abstract

A pulsed plasma can be generated via discharge of a high-voltage capacitor bank through a specially-designed coil surrounding a thin conductive metallic film. In this manner, a high-temperature plasma can be generated at atmospheric pressure which may be useful for the direct atomization of solid samples for analysis via ICP-AES spectrometry. In this presentation, the results of temporally and spatially resolved spectroscopic measurements of emission from this electrodeless plasma gun device will be presented and evaluated with respect to the mechanism of plasma formation. Special attention will be given to the effects of magnetic field strength versus induced current relative to plasma compression and plasma formation, respectively. The potential of this device as a direct solid sampling method for use with ICP excitation or ionization will be discussed.