Chemical Profiling of Bulk Alloys Using Micro-Electrochemical Probe Mass Spectrometry

Micro-electrochemical probe mass spectrometry (mu ECP-MS) is demonstrated as a method for the direct profiling of chemical composition of bulk alloy samples without tedious sample pretreatment. The spatial distribution of Zn and Cu components of a Cu/Zn alloy sample was successively identified by scanning the electrolysis potential from -0.6 V to 0.6 V. The lateral resolution of alloy chemical profiling was <= 10 mu m, and the depth resolution was <= 0.5 nm. Besides metal components, the method also allows the simultaneous detection of organic molecules on the sample surface. The limit of detection for Rhodamine B, Zn, and Cu depositions was 4.47, 9.58, and 24.25 ag per mu m(2), respectively. The method is particularly useful for high-throughput (<2 min per single run) quality monitoring of industrial parts and conductive materials of irregular geometries, such as alloy, microchips, solder side, etc.