Microplasma generation in a sealed microfluidic glass chip using a water electrode

A microplasma was generated in a sealed microfluidic glass chip for the application of the miniaturized chemical detection system, especially for water contaminants. The behavior of a microbubble as well as a microplasma was observed using a 1% NaCl solution with no metal contact in a sealed glass microchannel. A microplasma formed by water contents excluding air or inert gas showed clear emission spectrum in UV, visible, and near IR range. The detection of lead was demonstrated by measuring the intensity of the Pb emission line (at 406nm) with respect to the concentration.