Note: Liquid chemical sensing by emission spectroscopy with a nanosecond pin-hole discharge in water.

This paper presents a simple yet effective method for chemical detection by emission spectroscopy using a nanosecond pin-hole discharge in water. The discharge was produced in a 200-μm-diameter microchannel in water without electrode contact. The simultaneous detection of multiple mineral ions was demonstrated by measuring the intensity of Na and Ca emission lines at different concentrations. The device can be further scaled down to be integrated with microfluidic systems for monitoring water contamination or hazardous materials in other aqueous solutions.