An automated, high throughput, trace element end station for Crocker Nuclear Laboratory’s isochronous cyclotron

• Ion beam analysis using 4.5 MeV protons was developed with rapid throughput. • Various target types may be analyzed with a focus on environmental samples. • A recent environmental justice case study highlighted advantages of system. • Detection limits comparable to methods from national air monitoring networks. The end station of an isochronous cyclotron was recently updated to analyze size-segregated ambient particulate matter samples from a concurrent air monitoring campaign near a marine shipping terminal that stored coal and petroleum coke. The unique capabilities of cyclotron-based elemental analysis by Proton Elastic Scattering Analysis (PESA), Rutherford Backscattering (RBS), and Proton Induced X-ray Emission analysis (PIXE) allowed quantification of 27 elements in eight discrete particle size bins at three-hour temporal resolution. The method validation was performed by analysis of standard reference materials, a set of blanks and samples. The detection limits, uncertainty and precision were similar to comparable experiments reported in the literature. The analyses of high-time resolution size-segregated PM revealed that the developed methodology has a great potential to improve understanding of short-lived pollution episodes. While the end station will continue to be optimized, it will be leveraged for inter-disciplinary studies in various scientific fields.