Identification of multiple rare earths and associated elements in raw monazite sands by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging and promising tool for rapid and efficient elemental analysis. We used the LIBS technique to analyze the raw monazite sands collected from the beaches in southern Bangladesh. We have detected a number of rare earths (lanthanides) such as cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, yttrium, ytterbium, gadolinium, dysprosium and erbium, in addition to other metallic elements such as zirconium, chromium, titanium, magnesium, manganese, niobium and aluminum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time multiple rare earths have been identified in a natural mineral by LIBS.     

激光波长对煤激光诱导击穿光谱特性影响的试验研究

我国电站入炉煤种复杂多变,实时快速获取煤质成分对保障锅炉的安全、高效、低污染运行具有重大意义。将激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)技术应用于燃煤煤质测量,观测了不同波长激光(355,532和1 064 nm)诱导产生的等离子体时间演变特性和不同电离特性元素的谱线时间特性,对比了出现屏蔽效应时的能量阈值随激光波长的变化特征,并研究了激光波长对煤LIBS光谱特性的影响规律。结果发现：使用532 nm激光作为激发光源时,煤LIBS光谱具有最强的谱线信号强度,且出现等离子体屏蔽效应的能量阈值也较高,是一种较理想的激发光源,为LIBS技术在煤质测量领域的工业应用提供了实验依据。     

激光诱导击穿光谱技术快速探测煤灰中的重金属锌

煤灰的成分指的是煤中矿物质的完全燃烧,产生各种金属和非金属氧化物和盐,这是使用煤时的重要参数。煤被广泛用于生产和人民生活,作为重要的能源物质。大量来自燃煤燃烧的煤尘（煤灰）被释放到大气中并与大气中的各种物质相互作用而形成雾霾。煤灰中的金属氧化物和空气中的小液滴之间发生一系列物理化学反应,这导致了雾霾的形成。在实验中,采用激光诱导击穿光谱（LIBS）分析煤灰中的元素。实验样品由某钢铁公司提供,分为七个样品,并标上序号。样品分别加入蒸馏水和0.1‰,0.2‰,0.2％,0.4％,0.8％,1％硫酸锌溶液,分别用1～7号标记。为了获得更好的LIBS信号,样品被研磨为粉末状,并使用蒸馏水使硫酸锌与煤灰充分混合。通过使用压片机将煤灰压制成10 mm直径和10 mm厚的煤灰块。为获得准确的元素结果,X射线荧光光谱也被用作参考,并且原始样品不含锌元素。由于光谱分析和波长漂移现象的不确定性,因此实验中,分别选择了铁,钙,钛和铝四种高纯单质。在相同的实验条件下,将四条测量的元素谱线与NIST原子光谱数据库中相应的谱图比较。实验中的所有光谱根据波长差或偏移进行校正。此时,纯单质的元素谱线可以与样品的光谱对齐。当元素谱中的特征线与样品中的谱线对齐时,样品就可以被识别和确认。由于铝元素与目标元素具有相似的化学和物理性质,铝元素是煤灰和地壳中的主要元素之一,具有中等的光谱强度。因此将铝元素作为内标元素,运用内标校准方法来确定样品中锌的浓度。模拟含锌大气气溶胶是通过向煤灰中添加含锌元素来实现的。还有一些其他的金属元素,包括铁,钙,锰,钛和铝也被用来加入煤灰中,用以模拟大气气溶胶。两种方法的相对差异分别为1.78％,3.39％,5.17％,0.20％。造成差异的原因可能是由于光谱仪缺乏分辨率或背景噪声的影响,这是可能导致测量误差的原因之一。由于实验室条件的限制,无法确定基底是否会影响实验结果,这将在未来的实验中得到进一步的证实。实验拟合曲线测得煤灰中锌的线性相关系数为0.995 72,这表明可以通过粗略估算锌的激光强度来估计煤灰中的锌含量的实现。实验结果证明LIBS技术可用于煤灰中金属元素的快速检测,为基于锌含量的大气环境检测提供了一种新方法。在建立元素的校准曲线后,LIBS技术将来可以用来进行更快速,更准确的定量分析。     

Effects of experimental parameters on elemental analysis of coal by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The purpose of this work is to improve the precision of the elemental analysis of coal using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The LIBS technique has the ability to allow simultaneous elemental analysis and on-line determination, so it could be used in the elemental analysis of coal. Organic components such as C, H, O, N and inorganic components such as Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, Si, Ti, Na, and K of coal have been identified. The precision of the LIBS technique depends strongly on the experimental conditions, and the choice of experimental parameters should be aimed at optimizing the repeatability of the measurements. The dependences of the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the LIBS measurements on the experimental parameters including the sample preparation parameters, lens-to-sample distance, sample operation mode, and ambient gas have been investigated. The results indicate that the precision of LIBS measurements for the coal sample can be improved by using the optimum experimental parameters.     

The validity of commercial LIBS for quantitative analysis of brass alloy — comparison of WDXRF and AAS

Commercial low-cost laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully employed for the quantitative analysis of a Cu-based alloy using a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The main aim of the present investigation is to explore the benefits of a commercial low-cost LIBS setup. It was recognized that some trace elements such as Al and S could not be detected by LIBS even with a high-resolution spectrometer. The main difficulties in quantifying Cu as a basic component of a brass alloy are related to the self-absorption of Cu spectral lines, with the effect complicated at Cu concentrations higher than 65%. However, few Cu lines such as that at 330.795 nm would be helpful to use due to their lower susceptibility to self-absorption. LIBS, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) were compared for the detection of major and trace metals in the Cu-based alloy. In the case of WDXRF, the brass samples were identified by using a standardless quantitative analysis program depending on a fundamental parameter approach. The quantitative analysis results were acceptable for most of the major and minor elements of the brass sample. Therefore, commercial low cost LIBS would be useful for quantitative analysis of most elements in different types of alloys.     

基于K-CV参数优化支持向量机的LIBS燃煤热值定量分析

热值是煤质特性的重要参数之一,很大程度上影响着燃煤锅炉的运行。为了克服传统检测方法所存在的问题,将激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)应用于燃煤热值的定量分析。煤的结构复杂,所含的元素种类众多,包括了主量元素、次量元素和痕量元素,致使煤的LIBS光谱信息复杂。如何有效提取LIBS光谱信息,实现准确的定量化测量是LIBS在煤特性检测中发挥作用的前提和基础。近年来,随着人工智能技术的发展,相关的分析技术也开始应用于煤的工业指标分析和热值预测中。为实现煤样品中LIBS光谱信息的有效提取,同时为克服常规的分析方法易出现的过渡拟合、收敛性不好等问题,提出采用结合K-fold Cross Validation(K-CV)参数优化的支持向量机(SVM)回归方法,实现LIBS定量分析煤中的热值。SVM方法是结构风险最小化的近似实现,可用于模式分类和非线性回归。为了得到有效的LIBS分析模型,实验选用44种电厂常用的热值含量不同的煤样作为实验对象,选择其中33个作为训练集,剩余11个为测试集。利用搭建的LIBS实验系统获取所选煤样品的等离子体发射光谱数据,首先分析了SVM热值回归模型的参数-惩罚因子C、核函数参数g与模型精度的关联,确定C和g最佳取值范围,然后分别建立了基于LIBS全谱和某些元素(非金属元素和金属元素)特征光谱的SVM回归模型。利用训练集光谱数据,结合K-CV法得到热值SVM回归模型的最优参数C和g的值,建立基于SVM最优参数的煤热值定量分析模型。然后将测试集的光谱数据作为输入量用于测试所建立模型的可靠性,得到分别采用全谱、非金属元素特征光谱、非金属与金属元素特征谱相结合的热值定量分析模型,其决定系数R2均达到0.99以上,均方误差分别为0.12,0.17和0.06 (MJ·kg-1)2,预测平均相对偏差分别为1.2%,1.23%和0.69%。结果表明：基于K-CV参数优化SVM回归方法可用于LIBS技术实现燃煤热值的定量分析,且可得到较高的分析精确度和准确度;同时通过对比选用不同的光谱特征的定量分析模型可知,采用非金属与金属元素的特征光谱所建立的基于K-CV参数优化SVM的热值定量模型,能够有效提高LIBS应用于快速检测煤热值的精度和准确度,实现煤热值的准确预测。     

不同收光角度下煤粉颗粒流的LIBS光谱特性研究

将激光诱导击穿光谱技术(LIBS)应用于煤粉颗粒流的直接检测,利用自行搭建的颗粒流实验台架重点研究不同收光角度下煤粉颗粒的等离子体光谱特性,分析煤中具有代表性的C,Si和Al三种元素原子谱线的强度及其相对标准偏差的变化规律,结果表明收光角度在30°～45°区间时收集到的等离子体信号强且稳定。     

Influence of Laser Wavelength on Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Applied to Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Trace-Elements in a Plant Sample

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （LIBS） as a powerful analytical technique is applied to analyze trace- elements in fresh plant samples. We investigate the LIBS spectra of fresh holly leaves and observe more than 430 lines emitted from 25 elements and molecules in the region 230-438nm. The influence of laser wavelength on LIBS applied to semi-quantitative analysis of trace-element contents in plant samples is studied. The results show that the UV laser has lower relative standard deviations and better repeatability for semi-quantitative analysis of trace-element contents in plant samples. This work may be helpful for improving the quantitative analysis power of LIBS applied to plant samples.     

激光感生击穿煤质实验中延迟时间的研究

激光感生击穿光谱是一种新型的物质元素分析技术,可望用于煤质分析。其信号取样的延迟时间是光谱检测中的一个重要参数。文章搭建了一套实验台架,选取江西萍乡煤、山西西山煤和贵州平寨煤为代表性煤样进行了研究。给出了三种煤样240～250和275～290 nm波段的光谱图,参考NIST数据库,定性分析了C,Mg和Si元素的特征谱线。通过计算,得出了特征谱线信噪比的时间演化曲线。结果表明,随着延迟时间的增加,信噪比都要经历一个由小到大,随后又减小的过程。随煤样不同、元素不同、谱线不同,信噪比的时间演化特性均可能存在不同。根据信噪比最高的原则,得出了三种煤样中各特征谱线的最佳延迟时间,并分析了煤样特性、元素特性和谱线特性对最佳延迟时间的影响     

LIBS技术在污染土壤重金属含量分布测量中的应用

诱导击穿光谱技术(LIBS)具有实时快速、多元素同时探测的优势,并且无需样品预处理,检测成本低,是土壤重金属定量分析检测的一种重要分析手段。将LIBS技术应用于冶炼厂区周围土壤中重金属的含量分布分析研究,利用Cu,Pb和Cr三种元素的特征谱线强度分析了冶炼厂区周围土壤中Cu,Pb和Cr三种元素的含量分布。实验结果表明冶炼厂区土壤LIBS光谱中Cu和Pb两种元素的特征谱线强度分布与实际含量分布呈较好的线性关系,而Cr元素的特征谱线强度分布与实际含量分布相关性较差。为了提高Cr元素含量分布分析的准确性,利用CF-LIBS结合Saha方程应用于土壤Cr元素的含量分布分析中。实验结果表明基于CF-LIBS计算的Cr和Si两种元素含量比值分布与土壤Cr元素的实际含量分布之间具有良好的一致性。相比于其他的化学分析方法,LIBS技术结合CF-LIBS可以快速的对区域土壤重金属元素的含量分布进行检测,因此将LIBS技术与CF-LIBS相结合用于土壤重金属的含量分布检测中,为污染区域的重金属防治提供方向。     

Development in the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in recent years: A review

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been widely studied due to its unique advantages such as remote sensing, real-time multi-elemental detection and none-to-little damage. With the efforts of researchers around the world, LIBS has been developed by leaps and bounds. Moreover, in recent years, more and more Chinese LIBS researchers have put tremendous energy in promoting LIBS applications. It is worth mentioning that the application of LIBS in a specific field has its special application background and technical difficulties, therefore it may develop in different stages. A review summarizing the current development status of LIBS in various fields would be helpful for the development of LIBS technology as well as its applications especially for Chinese LIBS community since most of the researchers in this field work in application. In the present work, we summarized the research status and latest progress of main research groups in coal, metallurgy, and water, etc. Based on the current research status, the challenges and opportunities of LIBS were evaluated, and suggestions were made to further promote LIBS applications.     

准东煤中碱金属含量的LIBS激光测量

电站锅炉燃用准东煤后存在的严重结渣、积灰等问题跟煤中高含量的碱金属(Na,K)有关。采用化学方法对准东煤进行处理以制取一定碱金属含量范围的煤样本,采用激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)技术对准东煤的Na,K含量进行定标与预测。结果表明:LIBS技术对Na,K元素的测量具有较高的灵敏度、较低的检测极限和较小的预测误差均方根(RMSEP)。尽管元素含量较低时,LIBS测量数据的相对标准偏差(RSD)较大,但当元素含量达到一定值后,其RSD趋于稳定,通过大量的重复测量可以保证测量的正确性。由于LIBS技术本身有快速同位测量的优点,因此LIBS可以作为在线测量煤中碱金属含量的一种手段。     

基于多元定标法的煤粉碳元素LIBS定量分析

本文选用碳含量差别较大的14个煤样,进行激光诱导击穿光谱实验。引入多元校正的分析方法,实现煤中碳元素的LIBS定量分析。根据煤质的结构特点,得到影响碳元素激发的主要影响因素分别为与碳骨架相连的H、O、N,以及主要的矿物质元素Si、Al、Ca、Fe。选择这些元素常见的特征谱线强度值,作为多元回归分析的输入量,然后根据回归方程变量的筛选原则,确定了用于回归关联式建立的变量,进而得到回归关联式,并通过方差分析和回归统计验证了方程的可行性。结果表明,采用多元校正的分析方法,得到多元回归分析模型预测值与实验室元素分析仪得到的参考值之间的相对误差在5%之内,说明采用多变量校正的分析方法对碳元素进行定量分析,能得到较高的分析精度。     

Application of LIBS and TMA for the determination of combustion predictive indices of coals and coal blends

Presented work brings results of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis (TMA) of coals and coal blends used in coal fired power plants all over Spain. Several coal specimens, its blends and corresponding laboratory ash were analyzed by mentioned techniques and results were compared to standard laboratory methods. The indices of slagging, which predict the tendency of coal ash deposition on the boiler walls, were determined by means of standard chemical analysis, LIBS and TMA. The optimal coal suitable to be blended with the problematic national lignite coal was suggested in order to diminish the slagging problems.Used techniques were evaluated based on the precision, acquisition time, extension and quality of information they could provide. Finally, the applicability of LIBS and TMA to the successful calculation of slagging indices is discussed and their substitution of time-consuming and instrumentally difficult standard methods is considered.     

基于激光诱导击穿光谱的洋葱在线原位检测

激光诱导击穿光谱(Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, LIBS)是一种分析多元素的光学技术,可用于新鲜蔬菜的快速检测.以洋葱为例,采用LIBS对其含有的元素进行了在线原位检测.用乙酸铅溶液污染洋葱以模拟大气湿沉降的重金属污染现象,并进行重金属Pb元素检测.使用主成分分析(principal components analysis, PCA)和反向传播人工神经网络(back-propagating artificial neutral network, BP-ANN),以洋葱、大蒜、小葱为样品进行区分检测.洋葱光谱中的特征谱线包括Si、Fe、C、Mg、Al、Ca、Ti、Sr、Ba、Na、Li和K等元素,以及N、H、O的谱线和CN分子谱带.不同浓度梯度乙酸铅溶液污染的洋葱样品中都能检测出Pb元素,其相对强度与溶液浓度成比例.此外,PCA的结果表明洋葱、小葱、大蒜的区分效果明显,BP-ANN交叉验证的识别率为89.47%.结果证明LIBS在对元素进行快速分析时具有较好的识别能力,是检测新鲜蔬菜的有效手段.     

利用激光诱导击穿光谱原位在线检测褐煤及煤烟

褐煤是我国现阶段的主要用煤,但因为其较低的煤化程度,使用时会产生污染环境的二氧化碳和黑灰,而且烟尘中含有的金属离子会危害人体健康,所以开展对褐煤烟尘的研究非常有意义。而激光诱导击穿光谱技术(LIBS)具有快速、多元素同时分析的特点,适合用于煤烟的原位在线探测。实验制备了含铅浓度不同的三种褐煤样本(O, H, L),其中O为原始无铅样本,利用LIBS对褐煤及煤烟进行原位在线探测。实验仪器主要由激光器,反射镜,聚焦透镜,触发装置,载物平台和分析系统组成。用高纯度铅块校准实验中的的波长漂移。分析了褐煤样本O, H, L的元素成分。发现褐煤O中含有C, Si, Fe, Mg, Al, Ca, Sr, Na等元素,同时检测到空气中的元素N,O,H_α和H_β等,且含铅褐煤光谱中多出了8条铅元素的谱线,最后给出了褐煤中主要元素的光谱鉴别表。然后使用447 nm的连续光点燃褐煤,将1 064 nm的脉冲光聚焦在煤烟上,对褐煤煤烟进行了原位在线检测。发现煤烟中含有Mg, Ca, Al, Sr, Pb等金属离子,说明了褐煤中的一些金属离子会随着煤烟排放到空气中并危害人体健康。经褐煤及煤烟的光谱比较,发现煤烟的信噪比更差,且所有元素的谱线强度都比在褐煤中弱很多,另外发现在烟尘中碳原子谱线的相对强度是所有元素中最高的（无明火）,这说明LIBS可以有效探测CO₂。分析了实验中的CN分子谱,给出了CN分子的具体波长,并利用LIFBASE软件拟合了CN分子的转动温度和振动温度,分别为6 780和7 520 K。最后对样本H和L两种煤烟中的铅浓度进行分析,选取参考线(Ca Ⅱ 363.846 nm)归一化之后比较了铅元素在363.956, 368.346和405.780 nm处的相对强度,发现这三条特征谱线的相对强度与自身实际所含的铅浓度呈很好的线性关系,验证了LIBS技术应用于煤烟中重金属元素半定量分析的可行性。     

Femtosecond laser-induced Cu plasma spectra at different laser polarizations and sample temperatures

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a good technique for detecting and analyzing material elements due to the plasma emission produced by the high-power laser pulse. Currently, a significant topic of LIBS research is improving the emission intensity of LIBS. This study investigated the effect of laser-polarization on femtosecond laser-ablated Cu plasma spectra at different sample temperatures. The measured lines under circularly polarized lasers were higher than those under linearly and elliptically polarized lasers. The enhancement effect was evident at higher Cu temperatures when comparing the plasma spectra that have circular and linear polarizations for different target temperatures. To understand the influence of laser-polarization and sample temperature on signal intensity, we calculated the plasma temperature (PT) and electron density (ED) . The change in PT and ED was consistent with the change in the atomic lines as the laser polarization was being adjusted. When raising the Cu temperature, the PT increased while the ED decreased. Raising the Cu temperature whilst adjusting the laser-polarization is effective for improving the signal of femtosecond LIBS compared to raising the initial sample temperature alone or only changing the laser polarization.     

The importance of longer wavelength reheating in dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) provides improved sensitivity compared to conventional single-pulse LIBS. We used a combination of Nd: yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and CO₂ lasers to improve the sensitivity of LIBS. Significant emission intensity enhancement is noticed for both excited neutral lines and ionic lines for dual-pulse LIBS compared to single-pulse LIBS. However, the enhancement factor is found to be dependend on the energy levels of the lines, and resonance lines provided maximum enhancement. Our results indicate that IR reheating will cause significant improvement in sensitivity, regardless of the conditions, even with an unfocused reheating beam. The improved sensitivity with a YAG-CO₂ laser combination is caused by the effective reheating of the pre-plume with a longer wavelength laser is due to efficient inverse Bremsstrahlung absorption. The role of the spot sizes, inter-pulse delay times, energies of the preheating and reheating pulses on the LIBS sensitivity improvements are discussed.     

样品的激光诱导击穿光谱及谱线的自吸收现象

以脉冲Nd∶AG激光器的二倍频输出为激发源,获得了一种家庭用煤的激光诱导击穿光谱(laser induced breakdown spectrum,LIBS)。通过对谱线的归属,发现该煤种除包含文献报道的C,Si,Mg,Fe,Al,Ca,Ti,Na,K元素外,还包含Cd,Co,Hf,Ir,Li,Mn,Ni,Rb,Sr,V,W,Zn,Zr等微量元素,谱图中没有出现对应H和O元素的谱线,把该现象归因于H和O原子的跃迁概率较小,而灵敏谱线对应跃迁的上能级能量较大。同时发现随激光脉冲能量的增加,等离子体发射谱线的强度增大,增加到一定程度,K原子766.493和769.921 nm谱线会出现自吸收现象,自吸收的程度随激光能量的增加而增强,出现明显的双峰结构,把自吸收现象归因于原子大的跃迁概率及激光强度增加引起等离子体中粒子数密度的增大。     

混合水溶液中多金属元素的激光诱导击穿谱

使用自制的液相射流装置测定了含有多种微量金属元素混合水溶液的激光诱导击穿光谱.研究了激光脉冲能量和ICCD门延时、门宽、增益等对LIBS谱线强度和信噪比的影响,以提高信噪比为标准对实验参数进行了优化.在优化后的实验参数下,确定了金属元素Cr,Cd,Fe,Ca,Al,Mn和Pb的分析谱线,由实验测定定标曲线得到了各元素的检测限,其数值在0.018 ppm(Ca)到41.231 ppm(Cd)区域内.