5. Conclusion

One of the major trends of the next few years will undoubtedly be the miniaturization of all the techniques required for trace element analysis.

With this in mind, significant progress has been made in analyzing ever-smaller objects or samples. These include direct-introduction nebulizers for ICP-OES or ICP-MS systems, and separative microsystems such as capillary electrophoresis or nanochromatography, which enable the analysis of nanovolumes. This is essential for the analysis of precious or hazardous samples, but also to reduce the cost of reprocessing the waste generated by these techniques.

A second aspect of miniaturization concerns the development of microprobes enabling nanometric resolutions to be achieved, and thus access to increasingly precise spatial information. Progress in this field is enjoying great...