Characterization of sliding spark plasma source for direct trace spectronalysis

The sliding spark plasma – which is produced via ablation of a dielectric material enforced between a pair of electrodes by a pulsed high-voltage discharge propagating along the dielectric surface – has immense potential as a simple but novel spectroscopic source for direct in situ quantitative analysis of non-conducting samples, a ubiquitous theme in material characterization. The plasma-excited optical spectrum spans a broad spectral range Vacuum Ultra Violet-Near Infra Red (VUV-NIR) and carries the atomic and molecular signatures of the base matrix chemical composition. Since the analytical figures of merit for quantitative spectroanalysis are a function of the spark source and dielectric matrix ablation characteristics, we systematically studied the sliding spark plasma source, utilizing a charge-coupled device spectrometer with blazed holographic grating in order to find the combination of parameters that can tailor the source for trace spectroanalysis of dielectrics in air and atmospheric pressure. It was observed that in the UV–vis spectral range a unique set of sample matrix conditions, besides spark source parameters, exists for enhanced trace analyte spectral emission with low signal-to-noise ratios and where trace spectrochemical analysis of dielectrics depends multivariately on spark scan frequency, electrode geometry, plasma discharge current, spark source inductance, initial rate of applied voltage, mode of sample ablation, and specific capacitance of the dielectric surface.