Microplasma Technology and Its Applications in Analytical Chemistry

Abstract This review article describes some existing microplasma sources and their applications in analytical chemistry. These microplasmas mainly include direct current glow discharge (DC), microhollow-cathode discharge (MHCD) or microstructure electrode (MSE), dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), capacitively coupled microplasmas (CCμPs), miniature inductively coupled plasmas (mICPs), and microwave-induced plasmas (MIPs). The historical development and recent advances in these microplasma techniques are presented. Fundamental properties of the microplasmas, the unique features of the reduced size and volume, as well as the advantageous device structures for chemical analysis are discussed in detail, with the emphasis toward detection of gaseous samples. The analytical figures of merit obtained using these microplasmas as molecular/elemental-selective detectors for emission spectrometry and as ionization sources for mass spectrometry are also given in this review article.