Speciation and Ultra-trace Determination of Ge and Te in Environmental Samples Using HG-CT-ICP-MS/MS Coupled to DGT

• Grant number: 25/14415-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: November 24, 2025
• End date: October 23, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Amauri Antonio Menegário
• Grantee: Luiz Felipe Pompeu Prado Moreira
• Supervisor: Tomas Matousek
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos Ambientais (CEA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Institute Of Analytical Chemistry Of The Czech Academy Of Sciences, Czech Republic
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/03197-1 - Determination of technological critical elements by using diffusive gradient in thin films, hydride generation, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques, BP.DR

Abstract

Technologically critical elements (TCEs), such as tellurium (Te), germanium (Ge), gallium (Ga), indium (In), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta), are essential materials for modern technologies, including electronic displays, semiconductors, energy systems, and telecommunications. Despite their growing industrial importance, little is known about their environmental behavior, particularly regarding mobility, bioavailability, and potential ecotoxicological impacts. These elements belong to a broader class of emerging contaminants resulting from industrial and technological activities.This study aims to develop an innovative analytical approach by integrating the Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), coupled with hydride generation and cryogenic trapping (HG-CT-ICP-MS/MS), to enable the precise determination and fractionation of TCEs in environmental samples. The focus will be on Te and Ge, employing novel binding phases designed to efficiently adsorb and preconcentrate these elements for ultra-trace analysis.The combination of hydride generation, cryogenic trapping, and ICP-MS/MS is expected to achieve extremely low detection limits while minimizing matrix interferences-key factors for accurate quantification in complex environmental matrices. The developed methodologies will be validated through laboratory experiments and subsequently applied in situ in freshwater systems impacted by industrial and mining activities, such as the decommissioning site of the Brazilian Nuclear Industries (INB) at Caldas, as well as other freshwater bodies like the Paraíba do Sul River. (AU)