Heated-spray chamber-based low sample consumption system for inductively coupled plasma spectrometry

A systematic study about the effect of the heating of a modified version of the so-called Torch Integrated Sample Introduction System (TISIS) has been performed. The results showed that when working at liquid flow rates of 20-40 mu l min(-1), it was possible to raise the chamber wall temperature up to 100 degrees C without degradation of plasma thermal characteristics. Furthermore, a sheathing gas stream was added to the spray chamber so as to improve the aerosol transport towards the plasma. Under these conditions, sensitivity enhancements ranging from 8 to 15 with regard to those found under standard conditions (i.e., with neither chamber heating nor sheathing gas inlet) were reached for the different ionic and atomic emission lines studied. As a result, limits of detection at 20 mu l min(-1) were improved by a factor between 2.5 and 13. These LODs were only 1.7 to 2 times lower than for a cyclonic spray chamber at an uptake rate of 1 ml min(-1). Two direct injection nebulizers were used for comparison: the conventional direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN) and its demountable version (d-DIHEN). When TISIS was used under standard conditions quite similar results were found as those provided by d-DIHEN, although at low nebulizer gas flow rates (i.e., 0.1 l min-1), the DIHEN gave rise to higher sensitivities. However, by heating the TISIS chamber at 100 degrees C, sensitivities were enhanced by a factor up to one order of magnitude with respect to both the DIHEN and d-DIHEN. The result was ascribed both to the production of a finer tertiary aerosol and to the improved plasma excitation conditions. Furthermore, lower limits of detection were encountered for the hot chamber as compared to direct injection nebulizers. Hence, the developed system could be considered to be very promising for the analysis of very low liquid sample volumes through ICP techniques.