Applications of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to environmental monitoring
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); and others
Focusing powerful laser pulses in a gas or liquid or on a solid produces a microplasma that vaporizes and excites a small amount of the material. By spectrally resolving the plasma emission, the elemental composition of the material can be determined. This method, termed laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), has many potential applications to environmental monitoring. These include the detection of toxic particles in air, the detection of contaminants on surfaces including lead in paint, and the analysis of soil for metals. Advantages of LIBS that make it particularly suited for field-based monitoring include: simplicity, multielement detection capability, minimal sample preparation, and remote analysis capability. In addition, the method can provide useful monitoring capabilities and possible with many other analysis techniques. For example, beryllium particles can be detected directly in air at levels of 1 microgram/cubic meter which is sufficient to provide warning of concentrations approaching harmful levels and lead in paint can be detected at concentrations down to 0.05 milligrams/sq. cm, significantly below required levels. Remote LIBS analysis is provided by focusing the laser pulses at a distance directly on a surface or by fiber optic delivery of the laser energy. Examples of the use of LIBS for these and other environmental monitoring situations will be discussed, some analytical results presented, and examples of prototype instrumentation described.
- OSTI ID:
- 191654
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941098-; TRN: 95:006733-0010
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: FACSS XXI: 21st annual conference of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), St. Louis, MO (United States), 2-7 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of 21st annual conference of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies; PB: 257 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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