Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

GDMS is based on a glow discharge ion source, which generates ions through sputtering (cathodic sputtering) of a solid surface and ionisation (electron impact or Penning ionisation) by a glow discharge plasma. A glow discharge plasma is formed by the passage of an electric current through a low-pressure gas. The ions are separated in a mass spectrometer and finally recorded at a detector. GDMS is a method for the direct determination of trace elements in solid states providing traceelement information of solid samples. Beside the direct current (DC) mode, analytical glow discharges can also be operated in a radiofrequency (RF) mode, most often applied for analysis of nonconducting samples (Figures 13.1 and 13.2).

Mass Spectrometry‐based Techniques for Direct Quantification of High Ionization Energy Elements in Solid Materials—challenges and Perspectives

“…To conclude, due to several reasons, the ionization of highly electronegative elements is less efficient than other elements complicating their determination by mass spectrometric techniques. The presence of spectral interferences may also cause additional difficulties; however, this problem is to a certain extent present in all ionization sources and often requires special efforts to acquire the accurate results such as the use of higher resolution mass analyzers (Brand et al, 2015; Bürger et al, 2015; Jakubowski et al, 2015; Sangely et al, 2015; Venzago & Pisonero, 2015) or, for example, the use of ion reactions in collision reaction cell technology in ICP‐MS (Tanner, Baranov, & Bandura, 2002; Yamada, 2015). Notably, the interferences are mainly dependent on the mass range rather than the ionization energy of the elements, medium masses (ca.…”

“…GDMS is a mass spectrometry technique mainly focusing on the analysis of solids (Marcus & Broekaert, 2003; Hoffmann et al, 2005; Ganeev et al, 2012; Venzago & Pisonero, 2015). The primary advantage of GDMS is its applicability for direct and multi‐elemental analysis with wide dynamic range and low LoDs (1–10 ng g −1 ) (Marcus & Broekaert, 2003; Ganeev et al, 2012).…”

Application of 7N In as secondary cathode for the direct current‐glow discharge mass spectrometry analysis of solid, fused high‐purity quartz

“…5,6 One application field is the photovoltaic industry where GDMS offers ultra-trace level detection limits of transition elements in semiconductors such as silicon. 2,7,8 A common setup is the direct current direct current (dc)-GDMS, where, under low gas pressure, a voltage is applied between a pin-shaped or flat sample and a discharge cell, creating a glow discharge plasma in the cavity of the cell. The conducting sample acts as cathode attracting the plasma ions, which in turn sputter the sample, while the cell acts as anode through which ions are extracted into the mass spectrometer.…”

“…In the flat setup, the sample holder acts as insulator and part of the anode. 4,7 GDMS offers a major advantage over the more commonly used inductively coupled plasma inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) regarding the analysis of refractory and inert materials.…”

Application of non-traditional stable isotopes in analytical ecogeochemistry assessed by MC ICP-MS - A critical review

“…However -up to the present day -the number of studies on non-traditional stable isotopes in the field of ecogeochemistry is by far lower than for IRMS, MC ICP-MS and TIMS. A comprehensive overview about SIMS and GDMS has been published recently in a book about sector field mass spectrometry and will thus not be discussed in detail in this review [19,20].…”