Laser ablation-laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for the measurement of total elemental concentration in soils

Jhon Pareja, Sebastian López, Daniel Jaramillo, David W. Hahn, Alejandro Molina

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

The performances of traditional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation-LIBS (LA-LIBS) were compared by quantifying the total elemental concentration of potassium in highly heterogeneous solid samples, namely soils. Calibration curves for a set of fifteen samples with a wide range of potassium concentrations were generated. The LA-LIBS approach produced a superior linear response different than the traditional LIBS scheme. The analytical response of LA-LIBS was tested with a large set of different soil samples for the quantification of the total concentration of Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, and K. Results showed an acceptable linear response for Ca, Fe, Mg, and K while poor signal responses were found for Na and Mn. Signs of remaining matrix effects for the LA-LIBS approach in the case of soil analysis were found and discussed. Finally, some improvements and possibilities for future studies toward quantitative soil analysis with the LA-LIBS technique are suggested.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2470-2477
Number of pages8
JournalApplied optics
Volume52
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 10 2013
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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