Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS): Technological Development and Emerging Applications

Since its inception in 1980, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has developed as the core technology for trace element analysis in modern analytical chemistry. This paper systematically reviews the development history of ICP-MS, covering three dimensions: plasma source, mass analyzer, and the entire instrument, and traces the technical evolution of this technology from the early quadrupole mass spectrometry to high-resolution sector field mass spectrometry, time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and triple quadrupole ICP-MS/MS. It is pointed out that among numerous technological breakthroughs, the continuous iteration of interference cancellation technology is the key driving force for the development of ICP-MS. From cold plasma technology to quadrupole, hexpole, and octapole collision reaction cells, and then to high-resolution separation technology, the accuracy and sensitivity of trace element analysis in complex matrices have been significantly improved. In terms of analytical capabilities, ICP-MS has surpassed traditional multi-element and isotope analysis, gradually expanding to frontier directions and emerging fields such as speciation analysis, spatial resolution imaging: single-particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) enables rapid characterization and quantitative analysis of nanomaterials; single-cell ICP-MS (SC-ICP-MS) provides elemental distribution information at the single-cell level for metallomics research; and elemental labeling immunoassay technology opens new avenues for high-throughput multi-index biological detection. Furthermore, mass cytometry integrates the advantages of TOF-ICP-MS with flow cytometry, enabling simultaneous detection of more than 50 protein markers at the single-cell level. In China, ICP-MS has undergone a development process from complete reliance on imports to the gradual rise of domestic instruments. Currently, more than ten domestic enterprises have successfully launched their own brand ICP-MS products. In the future, ICP-MS will continue to innovate in the directions of intelligence, automation, and multi-omics integrated analysis, providing more powerful analytical tools for environmental science, life science, materials science, and other fields.