Characteristics of nebulizers for microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry - I. Pneumatic nebulizers

Frit and microcapillary array nebulizers were designed and evaluated as low-flow introduction devices of liquid samples to the low-power microwave-induced plasma. Zirconia ceramics were examined as anew frit material. A critical evaluation has been carried out of the nebulization stages, such as the formation of the primary aerosol, separation of large droplets in the spray chamber and aerosol transport to the plasma torch; changes in the design of the nebulizers studied were introduced on this basis. The characteristics of nebulizers were supplemented by spectroscopic measurements of the measured signal stability, detection limits for selected elements and wash-out times. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.