Evaluating the feasibility of LA-ICP-TOFMS for the analysis of environmental particle collections
Manard et al.
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2025
DOI: 10.1039/D5JA00009B
This publication in the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy, authored by researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory highlights the use of the TOFWERK icpTOF R, coupled with an excimer-based 193 nm laser imageGEO from Environmental Scientific Lasers, for rapid and accurate airborne environmental particle analysis. The study focuses on samples collected near a Ru-particle emission source.
Using gunshot residue (GSR) tab lifts from aerosol contaminate extractor (ACE) collection plates, the method provides an unattended, high-throughput analysis with spatially resolved elemental and isotopic data. Validation against sequential scanning electron microscopy–automated particle analysis (SEM-APA) demonstrated 100% detection accuracy when analyzing the same 2D region.
Airborne particulate matter (PM), originating from both natural and anthropogenic sources, poses risks to human health, ecosystems, and climate. Traditional PM analysis methods often require complex sample preparation, which can reduce sensitivity and resolution. Laser ablation coupled with ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) provides a direct, sensitive alternative for characterizing particles without digestion. This study demonstrates the power of LA-ICP-TOFMS for analyzing Ru particles collected with an ACE system, offering unattended, high-throughput analysis with improved isotopic resolution and non-targeted multi-element detection. The approach was validated with SEM-EDS, which confirmed its effectiveness for fast, accurate particle characterization.
The icpTOF platform provided clear advantages over traditional quadrupole-based systems (e.g., LA-ICP-TQMS), including quasi-simultaneous multi-nuclide detection, fast acquisition rates, and superior isotopic precision—particularly important for transient signals like those from single ablation events. In this study, 13 subsamples were analyzed automatically in under 7 hours. A multi-modal workflow combining SEM-APA and LA-ICP-TOFMS showed that all particles identified by SEM were also detected by the icpTOF, along with additional ones, demonstrating both sensitivity and spatial fidelity.
This study highlights how the icpTOF enables automated, high-throughput, and precise elemental and isotopic data, offering a robust airborne environmental particle analysis tool. This approach is well suited for rapid environmental screening, pre-selection for further analysis, or detailed isotopic mapping of particles identified by other methods.
If you are interested in multi-element detection of airborne particulate matter with no sample preparation requirements and automated, unattended analysis, alongside our icpTOF, we’ve just launched the mipTOF — a mobile, microwave inducted plasma TOFMS for continuous, real-time elemental analysis of airborne particles, delivering lab-grade performance in the field.
