Laser Ablation Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) Analysis on Lead-Acid Battery System: Development of Evaluation Method of Sub-ppm Metal Impurity Elements

Abstract

In Lead-acid batteries, there are significant efforts to enhance battery performance, mainly by reducing metal impurities that negatively affect battery performance. Currently implemented impurity analysis requires significant time and effort. Wet chemical preparation method is not only hazardous due to the extensive use of acids, but generates environmental pollutants and hazardous waste which require more costly and comprehensive disposal processes. In industry, it is desirable to reduce sample processing and analysis time to improve productivity and efficiency. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) is a technique that has the potential to overcome the above issues. In this work, we demonstrate an analysis of impurities (Cu, As, Cd, Co, Se, and Te) in lead-based samples at the ppm/sub-ppm level by the LA-ICP-MS method and verify with matrix matching an accurate quantification of the impurity concentrations of interest. The resulting data, which determines to reduce analysis time more than 50% due to simple preparation step while not as accurate concentration as traditional ICP-MS with at least two times increment of relative standard deviation, provides a reasonable level of accuracy and precision in a substantially quick, cost-effective method that is viable for a high throughput industrial setting.