Influence of sample surface topography on laser ablation process

0559350 - ÚCHP 2023 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Salajková, Z. - Holá, M. - Procházka, D. - Ondráček, Jakub - Pavliňák, D. - Čelko, L. - Gregar, F. - Šperka, J. - Pořízka, P. - Kanický, V. - De Giacomo, A. - Kaiser, J.
Influence of sample surface topography on laser ablation process.
Talanta. Roč. 222, Jan 15 (2021), č. článku 121512. ISSN 0039-9140. E-ISSN 1873-3573
Institutional support: RVO:67985858
Keywords : laser ablation LA-ICP-MS * surface topography * surface
OECD category: Analytical chemistry
Impact factor: 6.556, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access with time embargo

In this work we discuss how sample surface topography can significantly influence the laser ablation (LA) process and, in turn, the analytical response of the LA Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) method. Six different surface topographies were prepared on a certified aluminium alloy sample BAM 311 and SRM NIST 610 to investigate the phenomenon. All the samples were repetitively measured by LA-ICP-MS using a spot by spot analysis. The effect of laser fluence in the range of 1–13 J/cm2 was studied. For majority of measured isotopes, the ICP-MS signal was amplified with roughening of the sample surface. A stronger effect was observed on the Al alloy sample, where the more than sixty-time enhancement was achieved in comparison to the polished surface of the sample. Since the effect of surface topography is different for each analyte, it can be stated that surface properties affect not only the ICP-MS response, but also elemental fractionation in LA. The presented results show that different surface topographies may lead to misleading data interpretation because even when applying ablation preshots, the signal of individual elements changes. The utmost care must be taken when preparing the surface for single shot analysis or chemical mapping. On the other hand, by roughening the sample surface, it is possible to significantly increase the sensitivity of the method for individual analytes and supress a matrix effect.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0332689