Routine analysis of plating bath solutions is critical in order to maintain the recommended formulation, but presents several challenges: the presence of particulates, the need to monitor different element groups during a typical analysis day, and the need to accurately measure high concentrations. Both flame AA and ICP-OES are typically used to analyze plating bath samples. However, ICP-OES offers two distinct advantages: higher linear range and its multi-element capability.
This work demonstrates the ability of the Avio® 220 Max hybrid simultaneous ICP-OES to accurately measure high concentrations of plating bath elements. With the combination of the auto-integration and Attenuation mode capabilities, high analyte concentrations can be easily and accurately measured, as the linear range of the instrument is greatly extended, minimizing the need for dilution, which reduces contamination and gains efficiency by allowing the analysis of major, minor or trace elements in the same sample without the need for multiple dilutions.