G.Bauer * , S. Smetaczek*, A.Limbeck* * Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Chemical Technologies and Analytics, Getreidemarkt 9/164-IAC, 1060 Vienna, Austria SPATIALLY RESOLVED ANALYSIS OF SINGLE PARTICLES USING LA-ICP-MS METAL-CORE PARTICLE INTRODUCTION Fly ash particulate matter is rich in heavy metals and is therefore a potential resource for recycling but also a potential source for environmental pollution. So far state of the art treatment methods for municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash only remove coarse metals. Regarding highly toxic MSWI fly ashes, industrial scale decontamination technologies are not available yet. Knowledge on the distribution of metals within fly ash particles will help to find optimal treatment techniques and parameters (including use of additives) for the decontamination process. In this work we present a procedure to distinguish metal-core from metal-shell particles originating from powdered samples with LA-ICP-MS. METAL-SHELL CARBON-CORE PARTICLE ABLATION TECHNIQUES 2.) PLANE ABLATION MODE no wall effects strong fixation necessary 3.) PLANE ABLATION with subsequent LINE SCANS no wall effects 2D-plane results strong fixation necessary more effort The deposition characteristics were investigated by optical microscopy. Distribution on the sample holders and deposited size fractions were adjusted to prevent agglomerates and to depict the sample composition representatively by modifying parameters such as Ar gas flow, the angle of dispersion on the sticky medium of choice and amount of sample used in one experiment. Images were provided by a DM4000 microscope from Leica equipped with high resolution camera. OUTLOOK Further optimization of fixation process Extending the variety of measured samples 2D-imaging of particles CONCLUSION For fixation the application of hairspray proved to be most efficient. For LA-ICP-MS measurement the third approach (plane ablation with subsequent line scans) showed the best results. Metal-core and metal-shell particles could be properly discriminated with this technique. INSTRUMENTAL – Laser Ablation For LA the NWR213 Laser Ablation system from ESI was used. Operation parameters were optimized regarding beam diameter (10 – 50 μm), pulse rate (1 – 20 Hz), laser energy (30 – 70 %), scan speed (5 – 20 μm/s) and gas flow (transport line). PARTICLE FIXATION APPROACHES 2.) EPOXY RESIN good fixation, on or just below resin surface only a fraction of particles accesible Particles are deposited on an almost completely polymerized epoxy resin. 1.) STICKY TAPE light fixation adhesive force decreases with Au coating Particles are dispersed by a regulated Ar gas stream and deposited on a sticky tape. The tape is coated with a Gold thin layer prior to particle addition. 3.) HAIRSPRAY good fixation, gold coating possible multiple layers possible A glass slide is coated with a Gold thin layer. Afterwards common hairspray is used to prepare the sticky medium. Plane ablation with subsequent line scans: Presence of metal-shell particles could be verified reproducibly. Plane ablation mode: Parallel removal of sample and sticky medium as well as Gold coating obliterates distinct depth layer information. Drilling mode: Subsequent removal of wall components prevents depth layer profiling for target particles. INSTRUMENTAL – ICP-MS The ICP-MS used was the iCAP Q from Thermo. Alongside standard tuning procedures, RF generator power and carrier gas flow were optimized to maximize analyte sensitivity. 1.) DRILLING MODE only light fixation necessary wall effects SAMPLES and PREPARATION The samples originated from the Vienna community heating combustion plant: sample 1: FLA – fly ash d (0.9) = 97 μm sample 2: KSA – sludge ash d (0.9) = 89 μm sample 3: Schlacke – bed ash d (0.9) = 107 μm The particle size distribution of each sample was analyzed using a Mastersizer 2000 (Malvern Industries, England). The powdered samples were prepared for measurement by dispersion with a regulated Ar gas stream in a self-made glass apparatus with flow characteristics similar to a cyclone chamber. Regarding of the approach the particles were deposited on glass slides prepared with sticky tape, resin or hairspray. RESULTS Investigated elements: Al, Si, Ti, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Au and Pb