Evaluation of different nebulizers performance on microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry

Abstract

The choice of an adequate nebulizer reflects directly in the accuracy, especially when a complex matrix is analyzed in plasma techniques. To unveil the effects on fundamental parameters and analytical performance of a microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry, four commercial nebulizers, Concentric, Mira Mist, OneNeb series 1, and OneNeb series 2, were evaluated. Estimated fundamental plasma parameters, excitation temperature (T), and the number of electron density (ne) indicated that the Mira Mist nebulizer afforded a plasma with the highest T and ne, but the lowest solvent transport efficiency. OneNeb series 2 showed the lowest T and ne, nonetheless the highest solvent transport efficiency. The precision was estimated in the middle of nitric acid (1% v v-1), sulfuric acid (1% v v-1), easily ionizable elements (100 mg L-1 of Ba, K, and Na), ethanol (1% v v-1), and carbon content (1000 mg L-1). The OneNeb series 2 presented the lowest RSD and LOD values in all matrices, while the concentric presented the highest RSD. The accuracy was evaluated by certified reference materials and addition and recovery experiments performed in sugarcane spirit. Considering the sensitivity improvement, solvent transport efficiency and analytical precision the OneNeb series 2 achieved superior performance.