Elemental and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry with flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow and atmospheric pressure solution cathode glow discharge ionization sources

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Authors
MacLean, Garett Michael
Issue Date
2020-08
Type
Electronic thesis
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Language
ENG
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Chemistry
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Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) has been instrumental for the analysis of elemental species in numerous situations, such as heavy metal contaminants in the environment and isotope-ratio assays in nuclear safeguards. Measurement of elements and their isotopes by MS are some of the most established analytical methods in the field. There have been countless advances in MS, and ionization sources for MS, which have improved detection limits and measurement uncertainties. However, developments in elemental MS typically improve upon preexisting instrumentation and continue to have a number of disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages of these instruments include physical size, high operational costs, excessive power requirements, extensive sample preparation, and complex sample-introduction approaches. Prime examples are the widely used inductively coupled plasma MS (ICP MS) instruments that requires extensive external cooling as well as more than 15 L min-1 of argon and 10 kW of power. Another example includes thermal ionization MS (TIMS) which has lower sample throughput than ICP MS and necessitates extensive sample preparation procedures to attain matrix free samples. However, organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that monitors the enrichment of uranium worldwide would also greatly benefit from an inexpensive, rapid and transportable methods for on-site elemental and isotope-ratio analyses.
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August 2020
School of Science
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
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