Single-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of samples submerged in water using a single-fibre light delivery system

Using a novel laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy set-up, accurate quantitative analysis of samples submerged in liquids has been demonstrated. The measurements were conducted using a single-fibre plus plastic tube assembly of 20 m length. This delivered the ablation laser light pulse and a buffer gas flow to the sample surface, and collected the light emitted by the micro-plasma for analysis. No distil optics were used at the sample end of the fibre. Argon, nitrogen and compressed air were used as buffer gases; while the rare gas resulted in slightly better signal-to-noise ratios, most analytical measurements were carried out with nitrogen for convenience and to provide comparability with in-air measurements. Detection limits and reproducibility were comparable to those achieved for the same samples placed in standard ambient air, with all other experimental conditions unchanged. In standard steel samples, detection limits of 310±45, 325±48 and 455±55 ppm for Cr, Mn and Si, respectively, could be achieved. Pattern recognition algorithms were used to identify, for classification, spectra of specimen submerged in turbid and non-transparent liquids.