Glow discharge techniques in analytical chemistry

Abstract

The glow discharge (GD) is an old source that is finding many new uses in analytical spectroscopy. Its simplicity of operation, coupled with versatility of application, has led to increasing commercial interest. From an obscure analytical method focusing primarily on metal analysis, the glow discharge has developed into a sophisticated technique suitable for analysis of nonmetals, thin films, semiconductors, insulators, and organic materials. More effort is also being made to understand better the many chemical and physical phenomena that influence the effectiveness of the GD source.The GD is a low-pressure (0.1-10 Torr) plasma composed of two electrodes immersed in a partially ionized noble gas (1). The name arises from the

Isotope ratio measurements by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS)

“…By these measurements they have provided evidence for the former existence of 26 Al, 60 Fe and 53 Mn in meteorites (enstatite chondrites) suggesting the abundance of these short-lived radionuclides in the early solar system.…”

“…Hollow cathode glow discharges were coupled with a magnetic sector analyser in preliminary investigations of analytical GDMS [52]. Commercial instruments employ a modified coaxial cathode geometry [53] the so-called "pin-type" glow discharge source. This is also the most widely characterised glow discharge ion source.…”

Effect of Sodium Sulfide on Hydrogen Absorption of Ti-6% Al-4% V Alloy

“…The hydrogenated specimens then were analyzed quantitatively using glow-discharge spectrometry (GDS), [15][16] which provides a kind of microsectioning way to analyze the optical emission of elements during sputtering of a solid to obtain the hydrogen distribution curves and evaluate the effect of operating conditions on hydrogen uptake. From these data, the hydrogenation efficiency of each specimen corresponding to various conditions was obtained.…”

Electrochemical Deposition of Metals in the Preparation of Standard Materials for Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry

“…Glow discharge mass spectrometric (GDMS) methods have found routine application for trace element analysis of solid materials (1)(2)(3). Electrically conducting samples are most easily analyzed using a dc plasma; the analysis of nonconductors is accomplished either by employing rf discharge plasmas (4) or by mixing the samples with a conducting host matrix (5,6).…”