Ablation devices, major

Solid samples can be analyzed using a plasma torch by first ablating the solid to form an aerosol, which is swept into the plasma flame. The major ablation devices are lasers, arcs and sparks, electrothermal heating, and direct insertion into the flame. 

This limitation led to the development of laser ablation as a sampling device for atomic spectroscopy instrumentation, where the sampling step was completely separated from the excitation or ionization step. The major benefit is that each step can be independently controlled and optimized. These early devices used a high-energy laser to ablate the surface of a solid sample, and the resulting aerosol was swept into some kind of atomic spectrometer for analysis. Although initially used with atomic absorption - and plasma-based emission techniques, it was not until... 

Using sampling accessories Sampling accessories such as membrane desolvators and laser ablation systems are being used more routinely to enhance the flexibility of ICP-MS. The major difference between these sampling devices and a conventional liquid sample introduction system is... 

In the early experiences with RF treatment, a major limitation of the technique was the small volume of ablation created by conventional monopolar electrodes. These devices were capable of producing cylindrical ablation zones not greater than 1.6 cm in the short axis (Goldberg et al. 1995). Therefore, multiple electrode insertions were necessary to treat all but the smallest lesions. Subsequently, several strategies for increasing the ablation zone achieved with RF treatment have been used. 

A major problem associated with most ablative plates, however, is the generation of ablation particles, which may contaminate the electronics and optics of the device and may also interfere during the printing process. These particles need to be removed from the plate by wiping it with a cleaning solvent, so that ablative plates are often not truly processless . One of the important issues is therefore to obtain real processless methods. 

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