Volume-optional and low-memory (VOLM) chamber for laser ablation-ICP-MS: application to fiber analyses

Abstract

We report a new volume-optional and low-memory (VOLM) chamber for laser ablation-ICP-MS, which includes an active inner cell and an external cell. The external cell has a gas inlet and is a closed design cell, which can be large enough to accommodate as many targets as required. The inner cell is a transparent cylinder in which the gas outlet is fixed and connected to the outer transfer tube. The VOLM chamber has three outstanding advantages: (1) improved sensitivity (3.5–13.0- and 1.1–2.0-fold greater than for single-pulse and continuous ablation in a standard cell, respectively); (2) good stability (reproducible sampling positions); and (3) low cell-related memory effects (washout time 1–4 s). These advantages mean that the VOLM chamber is suitable for investigating the compositions of small samples in terms of profile and depth analyses.