Ultrafast-scanning tandem ICP-mass spectrometer for interference-free and highly-sensitive transient signal monitoring

ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is the most powerful

technique for trace and ultra-trace elemental analysis. The

A&MS research unit aspires the purchase of a secondgeneration tandem ICP-mass spectrometer for successfully

addressing applications involving short transient signals,

such as those encountered when using high-end laser

ablation as a means of sample introduction in bio-imaging

applications, or when introducing discrete entities into the

ICP ion source – e.g., for the characterization of engineered

nanoparticles or the analysis of individual cells. Tandem

ICP-MS units are equipped with two quadrupole mass filters

and a collision/reaction cell located in-between (Q1-CRCQ2) and offer unprecedented capabilities for overcoming

spectral overlap via chemical resolution. The combination

of the ultrafast detection (up to 10,000 read-outs per

second) attainable with the second-generation of this

instrument type with the extensive capabilities to create

interference-free conditions will permit novel types of

analytical applications, providing crucial information in

various research fields