Further developments in battery-operated microplasmas

Microplasmas have been defined (somewhat arbitrarily) as those with one critical dimension (e.g., depth, height or radius) in the micrometer range. Although lab-scale plasmas consume ~20 Lit/min of costly inert gas and require 1-2 kW of electrical power, microplasmas consume only 0.250 mL/min of gas and can be operated from a rechargeable battery. Over time, we developed, evaluated and characterized numerous microplasmas (including those we developed on polymeric substrates). Their detection limits gradually improved after each design cycle. To demonstrate analytical applicability and utility, we show that a microplasma coupled to a fiber-optic spectrometer has the potential to be used for the determination of Cr (Chromim). We also compare optical emission background spectra obtained using different inert gases.