Classical univariate calibration and partial least squares for quantitative analysis of brass samples by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

In this work we compare the analytical results obtained by traditional calibration curves (CC) and multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS) algorithm when applied to the LIBS spectra obtained from ten brass samples (nine standards of known composition and one ‘unknown’). Both major (Cu and Zn) and trace (Sn, Pb, Fe) elements in the sample matrix were analyzed. After the analysis, the composition of the ‘unknown’ sample, measured by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) technique, was revealed. The predicted concentrations of major elements obtained by rapid PLS algorithms are in very good agreement with the nominal concentrations, as well as with those obtained by the more time-consuming CC approach. A discussion about the possible effects leading to discrepancies of the results is reported. The results of this study open encouraging perspectives towards the development of cheap LIBS instrumentation which would be capable, despite the limitations of the experimental apparatus, to perform fast and precise quantitative analysis on complex samples.     

Multi-elemental analysis of solidified mineral melt samples by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy coupled with a linear multivariate calibration

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully applied for multi-elemental analysis of solidified mineral melt samples containing several oxides present in various concentrations. The plasma was generated using a Nd:YAG laser and the spectra were acquired using an Echelle spectrometer, coupled to an ICCD detector, which covers a spectral range from 200 to 780 nm. Using a set of 19 calibration samples, we first established univariate calibration curves for the major elements (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Ti and Si). We found out that the presence of matrix effects makes such a model, traditionally used in LIBS, not satisfying for quantitative analysis of such samples. Indeed, no sufficiently linear trends can be extracted from the calibration curves for the elements of interest considering all the samples. Instead, a much more robust calibration approach was obtained by considering a multivariate model. The matrix effects are then taken into account by correcting the spectroscopic signals emitted by a given species due the presence of the others ones. More specifically, we established here a calibration model using a 2nd order polynomial linear multivariate inverse regression. The capability of this approach was then checked using a 2nd set of samples with an unknown composition. A good agreement was observed between the analysis provided by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and the LIBS measurements coupled to the multivariate model for the unknown samples.     

Geochemistry study of soil affected catastrophically by tsunami disaster triggered by 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake using a fourth harmonics (λ = 266 nm) Nd:YAG laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

In this work, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis of the soil samples collected from Aceh, a place in Indonesia worst affected by 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, was conducted. In the LIBS experimental system, a high energy pulsed laser beam was focused on the tsunami affected soil samples and the atomic emission lines, originating from the laser induced plasma were recorded using locally developed laser induced breakdown spectrometer. Our results show that the concentrations of many elements especially terrestrial markers, namely titanium, iron, and carbonate marker such as magnesium, are higher in the tsunami-affected samples than that in the unaffected samples collected from the same neighborhood. The quantification of Ti, Fe and Mg were carried out using Ti II 334.94, Fe I 438.35, and Mg I 277.98 nm atomic transition lines respectively by drawing the calibration curve by preparing the samples of known concentrations in unaffected soil matrix. In order to ensure accurate quantification, the local thermal equilibrium of the laser-induced plasma was verified using Mc Writher criterion, for which the plasma temperature was estimated using linearized Boltzmann plot for six iron atomic transition lines and the electron number density in the plasma was estimated using Stark broadened Fe I 540.4 nm atomic lines. The estimated temperature and electron number density of the laser induced plasma are 9642 K and 3.5 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 respectively. The concentrations of Ti, Fe and Mg in tsunami unaffected soil are 0.09, 3.2 and 0.02 w/w% and in tsunami affected soil are 0.14, 7.9 and 0.048 w/w% respectively. These values are in good agreement with XRF data. The elemental ratios extracted from LIBS signal intensity revealed that LIBS emission intensity ratios of several elements, such as Si/Ti, Al/Ti and Sr/Ba are potential candidates as the distinctive geochemical signature for identification the soil impacted and unimpacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean giant tsunami. The advantage of using LIBS for the elemental analysis is that the sample can be analyzed in its pristine form without any need cumbersome sample preparation method, which has the risk of bringing in external additives through chemicals used for the sample preparation. Other advantages of LIBS technique are that the analysis can be in situ and can be carried out remotely.     

Direct Determination of Aluminum in Archaeological Clays by Laser‐Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract

Instrumental techniques that allow the direct analysis of solids with little or no sample preparation are particularly important for the evaluation of samples that are difficult to analyze such as refractory or geological materials. Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technique for the direct, rapid analysis of elements in solid materials with minimal sample preparation. The main advantages over wet techniques are virtual nondestructiveness and analysis speed. The goal of this work is the direct determination of aluminum of archaeological pieces using laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy. The corresponding signals of metals were interpolated from calibration graphs of different salts of the metals. The matrix effects from the direct determination of these elements were thoroughly investigated. The potential of this technique for direct quantitative analysis of real archaeological materials (from Department of Ancient Science, University of Zaragoza) was evaluated, and the reproducibility of LIBS spectra from different archaeological samples was measured as a function of the number of laser shots. Finally, the results from LIBS are compared with those obtained by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.     

Double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy applied to natural and artificial materials from cultural heritages : A comparison with micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis

The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an applied physical technique that has shown in recent years its great potential for rapid qualitative analysis of materials. Thanks to the possibility to implement a portable instrument that perform LIBS analysis, this technique is revealed to be particularly useful for in situ analysis in the field of cultural heritages. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the potentiality of LIBS technique in the field of cultural heritages, with respect to the chemical characterization of complex matrix as calcareous and refractory materials for further quantitative analyses on cultural heritages. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses were used as reference. Calibration curves of certified materials used as standards were obtained by XRF analyses. The LIBS measurements were performed with a new mobile instrument called Modì (Mobile Double pulse Instrument for LIBS Analysis). The XRF analyses were performed with a portable instrument ArtTAX. LIBS and XRF measurement were performed on both reference materials and samples (bricks and mortars) sampled in the ancient Greek–Roman Theatre of Taormina. Although LIBS measurements performed on reference materials have shown non linear response to concentrations, and so we were not able to obtain quantitative results, an integrated study of XRF and LIBS signals permitted us to distinguish among chemical features and degradation state of measured building materials.     

Double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy applied to natural and artificial materials from cultural heritages: A comparison with micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis

The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an applied physical technique that has shown in recent years its great potential for rapid qualitative analysis of materials. Thanks to the possibility to implement a portable instrument that perform LIBS analysis, this technique is revealed to be particularly useful for in situ analysis in the field of cultural heritages. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the potentiality of LIBS technique in the field of cultural heritages, with respect to the chemical characterization of complex matrix as calcareous and refractory materials for further quantitative analyses on cultural heritages. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses were used as reference. Calibration curves of certified materials used as standards were obtained by XRF analyses. The LIBS measurements were performed with a new mobile instrument called Modì (Mobile Double pulse Instrument for LIBS Analysis). The XRF analyses were performed with a portable instrument ArtTAX. LIBS and XRF measurement were performed on both reference materials and samples (bricks and mortars) sampled in the ancient Greek–Roman Theatre of Taormina. Although LIBS measurements performed on reference materials have shown non linear response to concentrations, and so we were not able to obtain quantitative results, an integrated study of XRF and LIBS signals permitted us to distinguish among chemical features and degradation state of measured building materials.     

Analysis of Roman-Hispanic Archaeological Ceramics using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a useful tool for characterization of archaeological samples because it involves little or no sample preparation, and it allows on-site rapid and nondestructive analysis. In this study, ceramics from the archaeological site of Labitolosa (Huesca) were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Furthermore, a protocol is described for the determination of iron in archaeological materials by interpolating calibration graphs and standard addition. Moreover, the potential of LIBS for direct quantitative analysis of iron in real archaeological materials was evaluated, and optimum analytical conditions were determined. The reproducibility of LIBS spectra from different archaeological samples was investigated as a function of the number of laser shots. The results were compared with those of a reference material.     

Quantitative Analysis of Roman Archeological Ceramics by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

In recent decades, numerous analytical techniques have been used for the analysis of archeological samples. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technique due to its practically nondestructive nature and minimal sample preparation. In this work, LIBS was used for the qualitative and quantitative elemental analyses of pottery manufactured in ancient settlements of Rome. The qualitative study showed that the ceramics were composed of Fe, Ca, and Mg. For quantitative analysis, calibration curves of Fe, Ca, and Mg were constructed with reference samples of each element in a KBr matrix with zinc as an internal standard. The results obtained by LIBS were compared with values obtained by atomic absorption.     

X-ray fluorescence determination of total sulfur in fly ash

Standard addition, double dilution and standard calibration were used for x-ray fluorescence (XRF) determinations of sulfur in fly ashes. Samples were analysed as pellets prepared by mixing with acrylate copolymer or with microcrystalline cellulose (in the case of the double dilution method). Lithium sulfate was used for the standard addition method and also as standard with known sulfur content for the double dilution method. Fly ashes analysed by optical emission spectrometry with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) were used as standards for the standard calibration XRF method. Sulfur was determined in the range of ca. 10^–1–10⁰ % S. For the fly ashes from the North-Bohemian brown coals, the differences between the XRF determinations and the ICP-OES determinations ranged from ca. 1.4 to 10% rel. and precision (repeatability) was better than 10% (RSD). The standard calibration method is suitable for routine analyses of real samples of similar nature. The methods of standard addition and double dilution are rather laborious in sample preparation compared with the standard calibration. Received: 27 October 1998 / Revised: 5 March 1999 / Accepted: 11 March 1999     

Fused glass sample preparation for quantitative laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of geologic materials

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is a powerful analytical method, but LIBS is subject to a matrix effect which can limit its ability to produce quantitative results in complex materials such as geologic samples. Various methods of sample preparation, calibration, and data processing have been attempted to compensate for the matrix effect and improve LIBS precision. This study focuses on sample preparation by comparing fused glass as a preparation for powdered material to the more commonly used method of pressing powder into pellets for LIBS analysis of major elements in complex geologic materials. Pelletizing powdered material is a common and convenient method for preparing samples but problems with the physical matrix brought on by inconsistencies in the homogeneity, density, and laser absorption, coupled with the chemical matrix problem lead to spectral peak responses that are not always consistent with the absolute concentration of representative elements. Twenty-two mineral and rock samples were analyzed for eight major oxide elements. Samples were prepared under both glass and pellet methods and compared for internal precision and overall accuracy. Fused glass provided a more consistent physical matrix and yielded more reliable peak responses in the LIBS analysis than did the pressed pellet preparation. Statistical comparisons demonstrated that the glass samples expressed stronger separability between different mineral species based on the eight elements than for the pressed pellets and showed better spot-to-spot repeatability. Regression models showed substantially better correlations and predictive ability among the elements for the glass preparation than did those for the pressed pellets.     

钒改性六方介孔硅分子筛催化苯羟基化制苯酚

以偏钒酸铵为钒源,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成了不同钒含量的六方介孔硅（V-HMS）分子筛,利用X射线衍射、N2吸附-脱附和程序升温还原(H2-TPR)对合成的催化剂进行了表征,考察了V-HMS对苯羟基化反应的影响。 结果表明,钒进入了分子筛骨架,并且在HMS分子筛上具有较好的分散性。 V-HMS对苯羟基化反应具有良好的催化活性;高分散的钒氧物种有利于提高苯的羟基化反应性能,溶剂乙腈对反应促进作用明显。 乙腈为溶剂,w(V(5.8)-HMS)=2%,60 ℃反应5 h,苯酚收率达到18.55%,选择性达到100%。     

The potential of asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation hyphenated to multiple detectors for the quantification and size estimation of silica nanoparticles in a food matrix

This work represents a first systematic approach to the size-based elemental quantification and size estimation of metal(loid) oxide nanoparticles such as silica (SiO₂) in a real food matrix using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled online with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and offline with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Coffee creamer was selected as the model sample since it is known to contain silica as well as metal oxides such as titania at the milligramme per kilogramme levels. Optimisation of sample preparation conditions such as matrix-to-solvent ratio, defatting with organic solvents and sonication time that may affect nanoparticle size and size distribution in suspensions was investigated. Special attention was paid to the selection of conditions that minimise particle transformation during sample preparation and analysis. The coffee creamer matrix components were found to stabilise food grade SiO₂ particles in comparison with water suspensions whilst no significant effect of defatting using hexane was found. The use of sample preparation procedures that mimic food cooking in real life was also investigated regarding their effect on particle size and particle size distribution of silica nanoparticles in the investigated food matrix; no significant effect of the water temperature ranging from ambient temperature to 60 °C was observed. Field-flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (FFF-ICP-MS) analysis of extracts of both unspiked coffee creamer and coffee creamer spiked with food grade silicon dioxide, using different approaches for size estimation, enabled determination of SiO₂ size-based speciation. Element-specific detection by ICP-MS and post-FFF calibration with elemental calibration standards was used to determine the elemental composition of size fractions separated online by FFF. Quantitative data on mass balance is provided for the size-based speciation of the investigated inorganic nano-objects in the complex matrix. The combination of FFF with offline fractionation by filtration and with detection by ICP-MS and TEM/EDAX has been proven essential to provide reliable information of nanoparticle size in the complex food matrix.

Comparison of univariate and multivariate calibration for the determination of micronutrients in pellets of plant materials by laser induced breakdown spectrometry

The application of laser induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) aiming the direct analysis of plant materials is a great challenge that still needs efforts for its development and validation. In this way, a series of experimental approaches has been carried out in order to show that LIBS can be used as an alternative method to wet acid digestions based methods for analysis of agricultural and environmental samples. The large amount of information provided by LIBS spectra for these complex samples increases the difficulties for selecting the most appropriated wavelengths for each analyte. Some applications have suggested that improvements in both accuracy and precision can be achieved by the application of multivariate calibration in LIBS data when compared to the univariate regression developed with line emission intensities. In the present work, the performance of univariate and multivariate calibration, based on partial least squares regression (PLSR), was compared for analysis of pellets of plant materials made from an appropriate mixture of cryogenically ground samples with cellulose as the binding agent. The development of a specific PLSR model for each analyte and the selection of spectral regions containing only lines of the analyte of interest were the best conditions for the analysis. In this particular application, these models showed a similar performance, but PLSR seemed to be more robust due to a lower occurrence of outliers in comparison to the univariate method. Data suggests that efforts dealing with sample presentation and fitness of standards for LIBS analysis must be done in order to fulfill the boundary conditions for matrix independent development and validation.     

Quantitative Compositional Analyses of Calcareous Rocks for Lime Industry Using LIBS

Here, the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in grading calcareous rocks for the lime industry was investigated. In particular, we developed a system equipped with non-intensified detectors operating in scanning mode, defined a suitable data acquisition protocol, and implemented quantitative data processing using both partial least squares regression (PLS-R) and a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. Tests were carried out on 32 samples collected in various limestone quarries, which were preliminarily analyzed using traditional laboratory X-ray fluorescence (XRF); then, they were divided into two groups for calibration and validation. Particular attention was dedicated to the development of LIBS methodology providing a reliable basis for precise material grading. The congruence of the results achieved demonstrates the capability of the present approach to precisely quantify major and minor geochemical components of calcareous rocks, thus disclosing a concrete application perspective within the lime industry production chain.     

Determination of aluminium in AlCl3 and Al2O3 modified silica catalyst supports

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was applied to determine aluminium in AlCl₃- and Al₂O₃-modified silica catalyst supports that were prepared by gas-solid reactions in an atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) process using aluminium chloride or aluminium chloride and water as adsorbates and silica as support. INAA and AAS were used as reference methods to determine the aluminium content of the supports. The calibration of XRF results was done by plotting the Al/Si intensity ratios against the aluminium content as determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and verified by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Correlation factors for the calibration graphs were 0.984 for AlCl₃/SiO₂ and 0.995 for Al₂O₃/ SiO₂ samples in the aluminium content range 0–2.6 g Al per 100 g of sample. Received: 19 October 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

Determination of aluminium in AlCl3 and Al2O3 modified silica catalyst supports

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was applied to determine aluminium in AlCl₃- and Al₂O₃-modified silica catalyst supports that were prepared by gas-solid reactions in an atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) process using aluminium chloride or aluminium chloride and water as adsorbates and silica as support. INAA and AAS were used as reference methods to determine the aluminium content of the supports. The calibration of XRF results was done by plotting the Al/Si intensity ratios against the aluminium content as determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and verified by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Correlation factors for the calibration graphs were 0.984 for AlCl₃/SiO₂ and 0.995 for Al₂O₃/ SiO₂ samples in the aluminium content range 0–2.6 g Al per 100 g of sample. Received: 19 October 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

Semi-quantitative analysis of binary alloys using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and a new calibration approach based on linear correlation

A new calibration approach to analyze binary solid samples at the percentage level is proposed, and its application to laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is presented. The method is based on the observed dependence of the linear correlation coefficient on the analyte concentration in a binary sample. The linear correlation coefficient is calculated between spectra of a range of certified standards and the spectrum of a reference sample (the analyte in the form of a pure metal), and the resulting curve is used as a calibration curve. It was found that a quadratic function could be adequately used to fit the calibration points. The first part of this paper characterizes the proposed calibration method providing mathematical and simulational data, and also describes a possibility to extend it to multicomponent samples. In the second part, the method is successfully applied to the LIBS analysis of Cu in brass samples as well as Al, Si and Cu in aluminum alloys. The new method was found to give rise to results accurate to 1–5% for major components, and usually outperformed conventional calibration in terms of both precision and accuracy.     

X射线荧光光谱铝环-双层压片法测定土壤中常量和微量元素

本文提出用铝环-双层压片法制片,经验系数法校正吸收-增强效应,对少量土壤样品中的常量和微量元素进行了定量测定。取样量为500 mg,制样与测量精确度好于5%,用本法对标样的分析表明,分析值与推荐值基本一致,本法具有简单、快速、成本低的特点,适用于少量样品的分析。     

Laser induced breakdown spectrometry of vanadium in titania supported silica catalysts

The capability of laser induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) for vanadium determination in a xV-2TiO(2)-SiO(2) catalyst is presented. The microplasma was generated onto the sample surface using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating in the second harmonic (532 nm). Laser produced plasmas were collected and detected using a charge-coupled device (CCD). In order to minimize the complex spectral interferences of emission lines and matrix effects a wide spectral range (210-660 nm) was studied. The focusing of the laser beam on the surface was optimized to improve the signal-to-background ratio, and consequently the limit of detection. The analytical lines selected were used to evaluate the calibration curve. The detection limit for V was estimated to be 38 mug g(-1) in 2TiO(2)-SiO(2). The method precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) was better than 6% in the concentration range 200-1000 mug g(-1).     

Matrix effects in the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of brominated analogues of 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone

Brominated analogues (BMXs) of the strong drinking water mutagen MX (3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone) were found to be subject to strong matrix induced chromatographic response enhancement effects. We evaluated different ways to reduce errors in quantification including comparison of gas chromatographic inlet systems, improved clean up of sample extracts, and preparation of calibration standards in the sample matrix. The best quantitative accuracy and long term performance were achieved when the calibration standards were prepared in sample matrix, samples were cleaned up with C18-resin in conjunction with solid phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis HLB cartridges, and gas chromatography with PTV splitless injection was used. This method enables the determination of MX and BMXs from 500 ml water sample with quantitation limits of 1 ng/l or less.