Modular Ceramic-Polymeric Device for Analysis of Selected Elements in Liquid Using Microplasma

Miniaturization of devices for analysis of chemical composition is being still developed. In this article we present a portable device with a microplasma excitation source. The microdischarge is ignited inside a ceramic structure between a solid anode and a liquid cathode. As a result of cathode sputtering of the solution, it is possible to determine its chemical specimens by analysis of emission spectra of the microdischarge. We fabricated cathodes with a microfluidic compartment and two types of anodes. Devices were tested experimentally. Spectroscopic properties of the microdischarge and its analytical performance depended on the used ceramic structure, the surface area of the cathode aperture and the flow rate of the solution.