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This work is an extensive study of the plasma chemical etching (PCE) process of single-crystalline lithium niobate (LiNbO3) in the SF6/O2 based inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The influence of the main technological parameters of the LiNbO3 PCE process, including the distance between the sample and the lower edge of the discharge chamber, as well as the temperature of the substrate holder on the etching process rate, has been studied. It was shown that changing the temperature of the substrate holder in the range from 100 to 200°C leads to a gradual rise of the etching rate from 127 to 282 nm/min. A further increase in the temperature to 250°C results in a sharp increase in the etching rate to 711 nm/min. The maximum achieved etching rate in experimental series which were aimed at determining the dependence of the LiNbO3 etching rate on the temperature of the substrate holder was 812 nm/min at a substrate holder temperature of 325°C. With the help of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was found and shown that during the etching process in fluorinated plasma the nonvolatile LiF compound is formed on the surface of the treated LiNbO3. On the basis of the obtained results, the optimal process of deep ($> 80~\mu \text{m}$) LiNbO3 PCE was developed, with an etched wall inclination angle of ≈110°, with selectivity ratio to Cr mask of ≈ 20, and an etching rate of about 300 nm/min. [2020-0317] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising aspect of inductive plasma generators for space propulsion applications is their electrodeless nature that leads to a high propellant compatibility and opens the door to in-situ resource utilisation propellants. To further develop inductive plasma generators as a space propulsion technology it is important to understand the relationship between system inputs (e.g. input power and propellant material) and system outputs (e.g. power efficiencies) to aid design and control. In this work, methodologies are developed for non-intrusively assessing the inductive coupling from antenna current measurements in terms of the 'instantaneous ignition power', the 'inductive duty cycle' and the 'inductive frequency shift'. Experimental results are presented for IPG7, a high-power (up to 180 kW) 5.5-turn helical antenna inductive plasma generator. Potential in-situ resource utilisation materials oxygen and carbon-dioxide, and their respective mixtures with argon, are assessed in terms of their inductive coupling characteristics and resulting power efficiencies. Oxygen is shown to be an attractive propellant material, especially when supplemented with argon. In particular, high thermal efficiency (∼ 84 %) can be achieved at high input powers. A basis is provided for understanding the power efficiencies of an inductive plasma generator in terms of non-intrusive antenna current measurements, to aid power supply sizing and to develop monitoring and control techniques for thruster applications. • Developing inductive plasma generators for electrodeless electric propulsion. • High propellant compatibility including in-situ resource utilisation. • Methodologies for non-intrusive assessment of inductive coupling. • Comparison with power efficiency measurements. • Propellants tested: oxygen, carbon-dioxide and respective mixtures with argon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to illustrate the applicability of chemometric intraregional discrimination of three famous Chinese liquors in Sichuan province of China based on multi-element analytical results by atomic spectrometry. Twenty-one minor/trace and six macro elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), respectively. A two-step chemometric procedure was proposed, firstly finding out important element variables according to the random forests score of importance, and secondly predicting by random forests (RF) and support vector machine (SVM). It turned out that the liquor brand can be traced by constructing prediction models with 4 typical elements, Sr, Mg, Ca and Se. Meanwhile, an attempt at vintage prediction of two liquors from the same manufacturer was performed. These investigations showed that the brands of liquors in a small geographical area could be clearly identified by chemometric techniques combined with element analysis with only a few numbers of elements, and this will provide a convenient methodology for liquor differentiation and identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the adsorption material is fabricated from the aluminum residues using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technique and applied as a raw material to manufacture porous solid desiccant wheel. An ICP system is developed to refine aluminum hydroxide extracted from aluminum residues into activated alumina by utilizing its high energy densities. A six-turn induction coil is suitable for our match box to produce alternating electromagnetic field, to sustain space discharge, and to have well reaction zone. The ICP generator power is set at 800 W, and the batch of aluminum residues is purified to generate activated alumina with a BET surface area of 122 m2/g. The porous desiccant wheel is manufactured using activated alumina with a 3-D random porous structure and applied to adsorb moisture from the air. The equilibrium time for the solid desiccant wheel and humidity are determined by observed kinetics in the adsorption experiment. The adsorption equilibrium time of the desiccant wheel (60 pores per inch) with 15-cm diameter and 5-cm thickness is 12 minutes. The maximum adsorption capacity is 51.4 g (at 12 min) and per gram of the desiccant wheel can adsorb 0.184-g water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The nanostructuring of the (100) PbS single crystal surface was studied under varying argon plasma treatment conditions. The initial PbS single crystals were grown by high-pressure vertical zone melting, cut into wafer samples, and polished. Subsequently, the PbS single crystals were treated with inductively coupled argon plasma under varying treatment parameters such as ion energy and sputtering time. Plasma treatment with ions at a minimum energy of 25 eV resulted in the formation of nanotips with heights of 30–50 nm. When the ion energy was increased to 75–200 eV, two types of structures formed on the surface: high submicron cones and arrays of nanostructures with various shapes. In particular, the 120 s plasma treatment formed specific cruciform nanostructures with lateral orthogonal elements oriented in four directions. In contrast, plasma treatment with an ion energy of 75 eV for 180 s led to the formation of submicron quasi-spherical lead structures with diameters of 250–600 nm. The nanostructuring mechanisms included a surface micromasking mechanism with lead formation and the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism, with liquid lead droplets acting as self-forming micromasks and growth catalysts depending on the plasma treatment conditions (sputtering time and rate).

An experimental investigation of plasma-assisted nitriding of austenitic stainless steel AISI 321 in a low-pressure (7 Pa), low-frequency (50–100 kHz) nitrogen inductively coupled plasma enhanced with ferromagnetic cores has been performed at the temperatures of 470–625 °C, sample biases of ‒500–‒750 V, current densities on the sample surface of 1.2–3.3 mA/cm2 and nitriding times of 20 and 60 min. It is found that even the short (20 min) ion-plasma treatment results in the formation of nitrided layers with the thickness of up to 40 μm and microhardness of up to 9 GPa.The high speed of nitriding can be explained as a result of the joint action of high ion flux density and high ion energy on the sample surface.

A precise, selective, and sufficiently sensitive quantitative procedure for determining chemicals contents in environmental objects and a human body is often a key to correct health risk assessment. The authors describe optimized conditions for analyzing whole blood, urine, and hair samples used for determining total mercury contents with mass-spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (sampling, samples storage, preparations to analysis, instrumental settings of a device, analysis conditions). We quantitatively determined mercury in blood, urine, and hair samples with Agilent 7500cx mass spectrometer with octopole reaction/collision cell (Agilent Technologies, USA). To prepare for whole blood samples analysis, we applied acid dilution in concentrated nitric acid with consequent centrifuging. Urine samples were directly analyzed after 1/10 (V/V) dilution with 1 % nitric acid solution. The suggested conditions of conventional biological media analysis applied in total mercury determining with mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma allow to determine the element in blood within 0.5–100 µg/l with measurement error being equal to 29.4 %; in urine, within 0.4–100 µg/l with measurement error being equal to 24.2 %; in hair, within 0.001–100 µg/l with measurement error being equal to 22.4 %. When validating the procedure, we found the following limits of detection (LOD): 0.0015 µg/l for blood; 0.012 µg/l, for urine; and 0.003 µg/l, for hair. Correctness of the results was confirmed by examination of standards blood samples SERONORM (Sero AS, Norway) blood L1 (LOT 1103128), L2 (LOT 1103129), L3 (LOT 1112691), urine samples SeronormTM (Sero AS, Norway) urine (LOT 0511545), and hair samples Reference Material in Human Hair (IAEA-086, Vienna, Austria). Total mercury contents in children's blood was determine within 0.02–1.2 µg/l; within 0.45–0.8 µg/l in urine. Contents in urine taken from exposed adults amounted to 0.65–8.2 µg/l, and to 0.29–0.49 µg/l in hair.

It has been shown that Grand spectrometers based on a hybrid assembly of BLPP-2000 photodetector arrays produced by VMK-Optoelektronika can be used for atomic emission spectral analysis of solutions using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). For the prototype of a Grand-ICP spectrometer consisting of a Grand spectrometer, RF plasma generator, and RF (radio frequency) power supply the following analytical characteristics were determined: element detection limit, long-term stability linear ranges of calibration graphs for several elements, and optimal operating parameters of the RF generator. The linear concentration range of analyte elements is 105 when using a single analytical line of the element. The long-term stability is less than 2% in 6 h without using an internal standard. The detection limits are comparable to those of modern ICP spectrometers with an axial plasma view and lie in a range of sub-microgram per liter. It has been found that the effect of superposition of the spectral lines of the plasma background, for example, OH molecular lines or others, on the analyte lines can be eliminated by subtracting the blank sample spectrum from the analyte spectrum using Atom software. The analytical characteristics of the spectrometer allow the use of the device both for developing new ICP-based systems and for restoring the performance of defective ICP spectrometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit attractive properties for spacecraft applications. When low Earth‐orbiting satellites reenter the atmosphere at end of mission, a measure to mitigate the generation of space debris, operators must limit the number of satellite components that reach the ground to ensure public safety. Inductively coupled plasma using an argon/air mixture to simulate reentry conditions is used to study ablation of BMG and conventional spacecraft alloys. Differential scanning calorimetry is used to determine the thermal properties of the alloys. BMGs are shown to ablate similarly to aluminum alloys (Al7075) and dramatically faster than titanium alloys (Ti‐6Al‐4V). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystal & Displays is the property of Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystal & Displays and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current guidelines for sweat chloride analysis identify the procedures for sweat collection, but not for chloride assay, which is usually performed by methods originally not aiming at the low concentrations of chloride found in sweat. To overcome this limitation, we set up, characterized, and adopted an original inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for sweat chloride determination, which was designed for its easy use in a clinical laboratory. The method was linear in the range 8.5E−3 to 272.0E−3 mM, precision exhibited a relative standard deviation < 6%, and accuracy was in the range 99.7–103.8%. Limit of blank, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation were 2.1 mM, 3.2 mM, and 7.0 mM, respectively, which correspond to real concentrations injected into the mass spectrometer of 3.9E−3 mM for LOD and 8.5E−3 mM for LOQ. At first, the method was tested on 50 healthy volunteers who exhibited a mean chloride concentration of 15.7 mM (25–75th percentile 10.1–19.3 mM, range 2.8–37.4 mM); then, it was used to investigate two patients with suspected cystic fibrosis, who exhibited sweat chloride values of 65.6 mM and 81.2 mM, respectively. Moreover, the method was cross-validated by assaying 50 samples with chloride concentration values in the range 10–131 mM, by both ICP-MS and coulometric titration, which is the technology officially used in Tuscany for cystic fibrosis newborn screening. The reference analytical performances and the relatively low cost of ICP-MS, accompanied by the advantageous cost of a single sweat chloride assay, make this technology the best candidate to provide a top reference method for the quantification of chloride in sweat. The method that we propose was optimized and validated for sweat samples ≥ 75 mg, which is the minimum amount requested by the international protocols. However, the method sensitivity and, in addition, the possibility to reduce the sample dilution factor, make possible the quantification of chloride even in samples weighting < 75 mg that are discarded according to the current guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives an overview of the modeling work developed in our group in the last 25 years for various plasmas used in analytical spectrochemistry, i.e., glow discharges (GDs), inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs), and laser ablation (LA) for sample introduction in the ICP and for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The modeling approaches are briefly presented, which are different for each case, and some characteristic results are illustrated. These plasmas are used not only in analytical chemistry but also in other applications, and the insights obtained in these other fields were quite helpful for us to develop models for the analytical plasmas. Likewise, there is now a huge interest in plasma–liquid interaction, atmospheric pressure glow discharges (APGDs), and dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) for environmental, medical, and materials applications of plasmas. The insights obtained in these fields are also very relevant for ambient desorption/ionization sources and for liquid sampling, which are nowadays very popular in analytical chemistry, and they could be very helpful in developing models for these sources as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A method is developed for determining Ca, Mg, Zr, Hf, V, La, Ce, and Y in heat-resistant nickel alloys (HNAs) by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. A scheme of the dissolution of tests of HNA samples of different brands in a microwave digestion system is proposed. Analytical lines of elements and of the internal standard, free from significant spectral suporpositions, are chosen. The effect of the time of accumulation of the analytical signal on the limits of quantification of elements is studied. Performance characteristics of the procedure are estimated in an analysis of model solutions and the accuracy of the results is estimated using standard samples of nickel alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the use of hanging drop cathode-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (HDC-APGD) as a new method of sample introduction for inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The developed arrangement was characterized by a low sample uptake (0.56 mL min−1) and the fact that the entire sample solution volume was consumed by the discharge. This resulted in a very high transport efficiency of analytes from the sample solution into the ICP torch (usually > 80%). Under the optimal operating conditions of HDC-APGD, intensities of emission lines of studied elements were, on average, 2 times higher as compared to those obtained with conventional pneumatic nebulization (PN). Moreover, in the case of I and Y, the observed signal enhancements were even higher, i.e., 6.2 and 6.1 times, respectively. It was also shown that in the case of B and some elements that are known to form different volatile species (Ag, Bi, Cd, Hg, Os, Pb, and Se), the presence of low molecular weight organic compounds in the sample solution, i.e., CH3OH, C2H5OH, HCOOH, CH3COOH, or HCHO, resulted in the additional enhancement of their signals. It was especially evident in the case of Hg for which a 8.6-fold signal enhancement in the presence of HCOOH was noticed. The system presented herein was distinguished from other competitive APGD-type discharges because it could be successfully used for the determination of a vast group of elements, including alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and non-metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology is one of the most important technologies in the processing of microelectronic devices and microelectromechanical system. As a necessary process in semiconductor integration, it has been widely studied in the past decades. It is known that the traditional DRIE process typically uses a plasma etching reactor equipped with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources to generate a high-density plasma so as to achieve high aspect ratio trenches with relatively small roughness. A cryogenic temperature control unit is typically employed as well. Here, however, we use a parallel plate RIE with rather simple structure, which is not usually used for DRIE, to obtain high aspect ratio silicon etching. With no ICP sources and no sophisticated temperature control unit, the system and experiment are now much more cost effective. Through the optimization of the processing, the etching rate of silicon can reach 440 nm/min. Finally, a 45 μm deep trench is etched in silicon with good perpendicularity. This method will greatly reduce the equipment related cost, especially for those applications that do not have extremely stringent requirement on the final etching accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-consistent fluid simulation of inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (ICP-CVD) using silane, argon, and hydrogen mixture is presented. The model solves the continuity equations for charged species, the drift-diffusion equations to describe their transport and the electron energy balance equation, coupled with Maxwell's and Poisson's equations, using COMSOL Multiphysics software. In order to obtain a better comprehending of the discharge parameters, a discharge in a Gaseous Electronics Conference cell (GEC) reactor is simulated. In this study, the GEC reactor with five-turn inductive coils is driven at a radio frequency of 13.56 MHz in order to sustain the plasma discharge at low temperature for a mixture of SiH4/Ar/H2, with an intial gas pressure fixed at 20 mTorr. The simulations yield the profile of plasma components such as electron density and temperature as well as the electrical potential in the centre of the discharge during silicon films deposition. The effects of external settings, such as chamber pressure, applied power and hydrogen dilution, on the growth rate of the silicon films deposited by ICP-CVD are then investigated. It is shown that the increase of the applied power from 1000 to 3000 W and the gas pressure from 10 to 40 mTorr results in a moderate increase in the deposition rate of the silicon films, whereas the increase in the dilution of the hydrogen in the mixture produces its decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined method of analysis of high-purity germanium dioxide by atomic emission spectrometry with matrix preseparation and trace element preconcentration was developed. The matrix was separated in an autoclave of a MARS 5 microwave system without the contact of samples with an acid solution. The method allows the determination of the following 50 analytes with the limits of detection 10–8–10–5 wt %: Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Ga, Gd, Hf, Hg, Ho, In, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, P, Pb, Pr, Re, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Te, Ti, Tm, W, Y, Yb, Zn, and Zr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanorods are widely used in many fields such as self-cleaning surfaces, photocatalytic lithography and pollutant control, owing to their outstanding physical, chemical and optical properties. Traditional methods for synthesizing TiO 2 nanorods are mostly tedious with high cost and tremendous energy consumption. In this work, TiO 2 nanorods with excellent optical, electrochemical, and hydrophilic properties were rapidly synthesized on titanium alloy (TC4) by using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) with strong chemical reactivity and high temperature characteristic. XRD patterns and SEM images confirm the conversion of TC4 into rutile TiO 2 nanorods after irradiated by ICP at 800 W for only one pass, and the nanorods tend to grow longitudinally under prolonged ICP processing. Moreover, the well-developed single-crystalline feature of TiO 2 nanorod is affirmed by TEM test. To reveal the growth mechanism of TiO 2 nanorods, three types of substrates (polished TC4 by electrochemical polishing (ECP), polished TA2 by ECP and oxidized TC4 by anodizing) were used to grow TiO 2 nanorods. However, TiO 2 nanorods with good morphology were only formed on the first type of substrate due to the existence of β phase Ti, which could suppress thermal transmission between grains. In addition, the results of UV–Vis absorption spectrum, electrochemical test, and static water contact angle of the treated TC4 samples show that TiO 2 nanorods synthesized by ICP possess excellent optical, electrochemical, and hydrophilic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of formation of ions upon plasma bunch expansion in mass spectrometers with Inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) is considered theoretically and experimentally. Under the assumption that the density and temperature of electron and ion gases in inductively coupled plasma are the same, the relative sensitivity coefficients are calculated for more than 20 elements in the plasma temperature region of 5–25 eV. It is shown that, after the completion of the recombination of multiply charged ions, a thermodynamically nonequilibrium plasma is formed, in which the residual degree of ionization and the charge distribution of ions depend on the ratio of the recombination length and the minimum size of the plasma bunch, lrec/R0. The experimentally determined ratio corresponds to the initial plasma composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absolute density measurement of atomic species such as hydrogen is crucial for plasma processing because of their strong chemical reactivity. In this work, to measure the hydrogen atom density in Ar/H 2 inductively coupled plasmas (ICP), the self-absorption-applied vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy (VUVAS) is studied with a micro-hollow cathode H 2 /He discharge lamp (MHCL) emitting VUV light (Lyman alpha line; L α 121.56 nm). The absolute density of hydrogen atoms in the ICP is investigated for various powers (50 W–850 W) in the low pressure region (30 mTorr–50 mTorr). The hydrogen density in remote plasma region is shown to vary from 2.1 × 1011 cm−3 to 1.25 × 1012 cm−3 with respect to plasma power. • Vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopic (VUVAS) method considering self-absorption effect is modeled and employed. • Absolute density of hydrogen atom in low-pressure ICP is measured using VUVAS. • Influence of operational conditions on hydrogen atom density and electron density is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of the mathematical simulation of processes in air ICP/RF plasma torch for high-power applications. This investigation is a part of a wide research focused on estimation and reduction of nonuniformity of plasma temperature and velocity fields. The results showed the effect of dissipated power and gas flow rate on the plasma temperature and axial velocity distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, optimization of the conditions of the arsenic determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was investigated. Comparison with the results of the analysis obtained by the standardized methods of colorimetry and photometry was performed. The proposed method was found easy to use with the reduction of the sample preparation time and the cost of additional methods for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the examples of the use of microsegregation of chemical elements in powder particles of the Inconel 718 heat-resistant alloy for synthesizing on it's basis the "core-shell" type composite metal-ceramic particles in the inductively coupled plasma. A laboratory plasma treatment plant having a quartz plasmatron with a power of 40 kW and a frequency of 5.2 MHz was used. The spheroidization and degassing of the starting material were performed. It was established that, as the powder moved in the plasma flow, the explosive degassing of its particles, with the internal gas pores, took place first, and then the powder melted and spheroidized. It was shown that during the plasma treatment of the Inconel 718 powder in the presence of oxygen, microsegregation of the chemical elements contained in this alloy took place, with the formation of "core-shell" type composite metal-ceramic particles. The metal core consists predominantly of nickel, while the composition of the ceramic shell includes chromium and iron oxides, as well as spinels of the NiCr 2 O 4 and NiFe 2 O 4 types. By varying the oxygen concentration in the plasma, the shell thickness and the core diameter of the composite particle can be changed. The method makes it possible to synthesize metal-ceramic composite powders of the "core-shell" type for additive manufacturing. [Display omitted] • Explosive degassing and spheroidization occurs during powder plasma treatment. • Incorporating oxygen during Inconel plasma treatment forms 'core-shell' particles. • Oxygen concentration in plasma allows to control sizes of the core and shell. • Metal cores of the particles are based on nickel. • Ceramic shell is based on Fe and Cr oxides and spinels of the NiCr2O4 and NiFe2O4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the power dissipation of a plasma torch used for an optical surface fabrication process. The process utilizes an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch that is equipped with a De-Laval nozzle for the delivery of a highly collimated plasma jet. The plasma torch makes use of a self-igniting coil and an intermediate co-axial tube made of alumina. The torch has a distinctive thermal and electrical response compared to regular ICP torches. In this study, the results of the power dissipation investigation reveal the true efficiency of the torch and discern its electrical response. By systematically measuring the coolant parameters (temperature change and flow rate), the power dissipation is extrapolated. The radio frequency power supply is set to 800 W, E mode, throughout the research presented in this study. The analytical results of power dissipation, derived from the experiments, show that 15.4% and 33.3% are dissipated by the nozzle and coil coolant channels, respectively. The experiments also enable the determination of the thermal time constant of the plasma torch for the entire range of RF power.

A sol-gel thiocyanatopropyl-functionalized silica sorbent was synthesized and employed for an automated on-line microcolumn preconcentration platform as a front-end to inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for the simultaneous determination of Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Cr(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Mn(II), Hg(II), and V(II). The developed system is based on an easy-to-repack microcolumn construction integrated into a flow injection manifold coupled directly to ICP-AES’s nebulizer. After on-line extraction/preconcentration of the target analyte onto the surface of the sorbent, successive elution with 1.0 mol L−1 HNO3 was performed. All main chemical and hydrodynamic factors affecting the effectiveness of the system were thoroughly investigated and optimized. Under optimized experimental conditions, for 60 s preconcentration time, the enhancement factor achieved for the target analytes was between 31 to 53. The limits of detection varied in the range of 0.05 to 0.24 μg L−1, while the limits of quantification ranged from 0.17 to 0.79 μg L−1. The precision of the method was expressed in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD%) and was less than 7.9%. Furthermore, good method accuracy was observed by analyzing three certified reference materials. The proposed method was also successfully employed for the analysis of environmental water samples.

Boron is none uniformly distributed, ubiquitous essential micronutrient element for the plant as well as human beings. The aim of this study is to measure the Boron, 10B5, concentration in water in Al-Diwaniya governorate (in Iraq). The measurements were performed by analyzing the water samples collected from 24 location using ICP/OES technique. The Boron concentration which is obtained ranged from 0.45ppm in (Al-dighara 4) to1.87ppm in (alhamza 6) in water. The present results are compared with other studies. The results could be utilized to make distinctive supplementary contributions when contamination event occurs and to implement water quality standards by concerned authorities to maintain radioactive contamination-free water samples which are needing for the people. The study further reveals that 24 surface water samples have boron more than the detection limit.

Elemental analysis can provide trace concentrations of iron and other transition elements at nanomolar (μg/L) concentrations in whole bacterial and mammalian cells, subcellular compartments, biological fluids, and tissues. The best method of analysis is by far Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). I describe here a very general method for the sample preparation, instrument settings, method development, and analysis. The method can be extended to up to 20 common elements in biological samples., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry combined with electrothermal vaporization (ETV) was used for determination of Ba, Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Sr, Zn, S, and Se in plant materials. Optimized temperature program comprised a pyrolysis phase (duration 60 s and max. temperature 600 °C) and analytical phase (duration 70 s and temperature gradually increasing to 2500 °C); dichlorodifluoromethane (known as Freon R12) was used as a chemical modifier. High plasma power for robust plasma conditions was used. Calibrations based on certified reference materials of plant and animal origin and aqueous calibration solutions were linear for most of the used spectral lines and were stable for several months. Limits of detection were in the range from 7 to 1100 mg/kg for plant main elements and from 0.074 to 4.3 mg/kg for plant minor and trace elements. The precision of results was below 6%, and recovery was 83–116%. Results of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry with ETV were in good agreement with results of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry with pneumatic nebulization sample introducing system and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry obtained in the same laboratory, and differences between results were generally lower than 10%. Then, the amounts of selected elements, which are important indicators of plant health and nutritional value, were determined. The agreement of our results with results obtained in another laboratory was acceptable in case of S, K, Ca, and Se (differences lower than 10%). In case of determination of Mg, P, Cu, Mn, and Zn, the differences ranged from 20 to 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed a one-step method for the convenient preparation of carbon-coated CeO 2 using inductively coupled plasma technology. The carbon-coated CeO 2 nanoparticles were obtained using cerium nitrate solution as precursor and ethanol as carbon source. The thickness of the carbon coating was modified by varying the flow rates of oxygen in the sheath gas. The average size of the nanoparticles obtained was around 10 nm, which was similar to that of the uncoated one. However, the content of Ce3+ was slightly increased after the coating with enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability. In order to evaluate the cytocompatibility of coated CeO 2 , two kinds of cell lines, macrophage and keratinocyte, were experimented. The carbon-coated CeO 2 exhibited much higher cytocompatibility than that of the uncoated one. Marginal toxicity was found when cells were treated with coated CeO 2 , whereas the death ratio of macrophages was around 11% after 24 h of treatment with 5 μg/ml of bare CeO 2. Our results indicate that carbon coating may be a promising substitute for polymer modification of CeO 2 in order to improve its cytocompatibility and anti-oxidative properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry methodology for the rapid screening of elemental impurities in solid pharmaceutical samples with the daily dose less than 2.0 g has been developed in accordance with requirements of established USP <232/233> chapters and ICH-Q3D guideline. The LA-ICP-MS methodology covering the determination of Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Co, V, Ni, Tl, Au, Pd, Ir, Os, Rh, Ru, Se, Ag, Pt was successfully validated in terms of linearity, limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, intermediate precision, specificity and range. Moreover, the presented 'in-house' matrix-matched standards preparation methodology helps to overcome crucial analytical problem connected with unavailability of commercial certified matrix-matched reference material suitable for the direct elemental impurities analysis in various kinds of solid pharmaceutical products. A two step homogeneity study of prepared matrix-matched calibration standards is also reported to investigate the homogeneity of distribution of elemental impurities and internal standards across the pressed pellet. The validated LA-ICP-MS method was applied on analysis of several types of solid pharmaceutical samples (active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, placebo and final drug products). The proposed method allowed the accurate, precise and fast screening of elemental impurities without necessity of time and labour consuming solutions preparation and thus it can be used in routine practice as an alternative to conventional ICP-MS or ICP-OES for the rapid quality control of different stages of pharmaceutical production. Image 1 • A new LA-ICP-MS screening of elemental impurities in pharmaceuticals was developed. • LA-ICP-MS method meets the requirements of USP <232/233> chapters and ICH-Q3D guideline. • Simple methodology contributes to significant time, labor and pharmaceuticals saving. • Rapid quality control at different stages of pharmaceutical production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 31 interfaces are compared for the coupling of LC and ICP-MS/MS. • The extra-column variance varies from 6 to 8000 μL² depending on the interface. • Solute dispersion is proved to be a major issue for most commercial interfaces. • The effect of flow-rate and spray chamber temperature is highlighted. Liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with a specific detection such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) is a technique of choice for elementary speciation analysis for complex matrices. The analysis of organic matrices requires the introduction of volatile solvents into the plasma which is an analytical challenge for this coupling technique. Detection sensitivity can be significantly affected by instrumental limitations. Among those, we were interested in the solute dispersion into the interface located between LC and ICP-MS/MS. This interface consists in both a Sample Introduction System (SIS) and a possible flow splitter. This study, divided into two parts, investigated the analytical performance (in terms of sensitivity and efficiency) generated by the coupling of LC and ICP-MS in the specific case of organic matrices. In Part I [ 1 ], we previously discussed the impact of extra column dispersion on the performance of LC-ICP-MS, first from a theoretical point of view and next, by assessing extra-column dispersion in 55 published studies on LC-ICP-MS. It was shown that SIS was rarely optimized with respect to its contribution to extra-column band broadening. The critical impact of flow splitting on extra-column dispersion was also pointed out. The present Part II is dedicated to the experimental comparison of commercially available SIS by assessing extra-column band broadening and hence the contribution of SIS to the loss in both efficiency and sensitivity. It is shown that the peak variance, due to SIS, can vary from 10 to 8000 μL² depending on the combination of both nebulizer and spray chamber. Whereas the highest values (i.e. > 2000 μL²) are much too high in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), even the lowest values (i.e. < 100 μL²) can be inappropriate in ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) as highlighted in this study. In light of these results, it appears that nebulizer and spray chamber have to be chosen together with respect to the chromatographic technique (HPLC or UHPLC) and that both peak dispersion and peak intensity depend on key parameters including SIS device geometry, flow rate entering the interface or spray chamber temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-analytical approach for origin authentication of cocoa bean shells is proposed. • Samples from Ecuador and central Africa were precisely classified by PLS-DA. • Samples from São Tomé showed more features in common with American samples than with African samples. • CBS samples were better classified by the fused model then by the three single analytical techniques. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a multi-analytical approach for origin authentication of cocoa bean shells (CBS). The overall chemical profiles of CBS from different origins were characterized using diffuse reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR) for molecular composition identification, as well as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for elemental composition identification. Exploratory chemometric techniques based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied to each single technique for the identification of systematic patterns related to the geographical origin of samples. A combination of the three techniques proved to be the most promising approach to establish classification models. Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis modelling of fused PCA scores of three independent models was used and compared with single technique models. Improved classification of CBS samples was obtained using the fused model. Satisfactory classification rates were obtained for Central African samples with an accuracy of 0.84. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the power consumption at a radio frequency plasma (RFP) cathode for electric rocket propulsion in space, we experimentally investigated the ignition and electron emission characteristics of the RFP cathode as a function of the discharge vessel diameter. Owing to the increase in the ratio of the electrons loss to the electron production, the ignition performance degrades as the vessel diameter becomes smaller. The anode current-voltage characteristics are not affected by the vessel diameter and the anode current emitted from the cathode is saturated at higher anode voltages. In contrast to the effect of the vessel diameter on the ignition performance, the RF power required to achieve an electron current of 1 A for the 2-cm cathode is lower than that for the 4-cm cathode. This improvement of the electron emission performance seems to be as a result of increase in the ratio of the ion collection area to the vessel surface area. Therefore, these results suggest that the discharge vessel diameter is determined by the balance between the plasma ignition performance and electron emission performance. • The vessel diameter effect on radio frequency plasma cathodes were investigated. • The ignition performance degrades as the vessel diameter becomes smaller. • The power required to achieve an electron current of 1 A reduces as the diameter decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of strong pulsed magnetic field on the discharge behavior of a cylindrical inertial electrostatic (IEC) device has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally. By applying strong pulsed magnetic field in a new fabricated miniature cylindrical IEC device equipped with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), discharge current amplifications were observed at ordinary pressures as well as low pressure ICP-assisted operational regime with deuterium gas. The obtained results indicate the evidence for significant amplification of discharge current up to more than one hundred times. Since the neutron production rate has been previously proven to be linearly dependent on the discharge current, then this study might open new investigations for probable increment of fusion reaction rates in IEC devices with additional strong magnetic field. • Simulation results of ion trajectory modifications in IEC (inertial electrostatic confinement) in presence of strong magnetic field. • Plasma conductivity-tensor entirely changes due to strong magnetic fields in cylindrical IEC. • A new miniature sized cylindrical IEC device equipped with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) generator has been designed and constructed. • Cathode current amplification ratio due to strong pulsed magnetic fields at ordinary pressure and low pressure –ICP assisted regimes has been measured. • Neutron production rates are measured at different voltages as a function of cathode current • Increment of NPR is estimated to be more than one order of magnitude by applying strong magnetic fields [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal dislocations in SiC wafers, conventionally, molten KOH etching method has been widely used. However, when highly doped sites exist on the wafer, the molten KOH etching method is not applicable owing to the enhanced isotropic electrochemical etching phenomenon. In this study, plasma etching is first applied to reveal dislocations in a 4H-SiC wafer with both highly doped and lightly doped areas. The mechanisms of dislocation revelation by dry etching have been theoretically analyzed and it has been revealed that the dislocation revelation ability of dry etching is highly related to the temperature of the etching process. The results demonstrate that inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching can maintain its effectiveness for dislocation revelation of SiC wafers regardless of the doping concentrations. This work offers an alternative approach to indiscriminately and accurately reveal dislocations in SiC wafers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, plasma-enhanced pulsed laser deposition (PE-PLD), which is a novel variant of pulsed laser deposition that combines laser ablation of metal targets with an electrically-produced oxygen plasma background, has been used for the fabrication of ZnO and Cu 2 O thin films. Samples prepared using the PE-PLD process, with the aim of generating desirable properties for a range of electrical and optical applications, have been analysed using medium energy ion scattering. Using a 100 keV He+ ion beam, high resolution depth profiling of the films was performed with an analysis of the stoichiometry and interface abruptness of these novel materials. It was found that the PE-PLD process can create stoichiometric thin films, the uniformity of which can be controlled by varying the power of the inductively coupled plasma. This technique showed a high deposition rate of ∼ 0.1 nm s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis technique for the determination of rare-earth metals Ce, Er, Gd, La, Nd, Y in magnesium alloys by the method of atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma is proposed. Analytical lines of elements free of significant spectral overlays and the internal standard line were chosen. The metrological characteristics of the technique were studied using model solutions and its accuracy was verified using standard samples of magnesium alloys containing rare-earth metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an innovative optical processing technology based on the chemical reaction, inductively coupled atmospheric pressure plasma processing (IC-APPP) technology has the advantages of high processing efficiency, non-mechanical damage and low cost. Inductively coupled plasma jet (ICP) can be characterized by the high temperature and enthalpy, which is the prerequisite of high material removal rate in optical processing. Thermal analysis is critical to characterize the IC-APPP of optics. Based on the energy balance theory in the low-temperature plasma processing, the heat transfer process of substrate was analyzed and boundary conditions in the model were proposed. The gas temperature of the impinging jet was obtained by the simulation of plasma jet characteristics using finite element analysis, which acts as the input to the heat transfer model of IC-APPP process. Experiments were carried out to validate the accuracy of model and thermal effect on the removal rate was analyzed for IC-APPP. Results suggest that there exist varying degrees of nonlinearity with different temperature ranges in the IC-APPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]