The use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the determination of fluorine concentration in glass ionomer cement

The influence of He atmosphere and gate width in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) determination of fluorine concentration was investigated in detail. The measurements were realized on two double pulse LIBS devices featuring different parameters. Calibration curves, describing the relationship between the fluorine concentration and the corresponding intensity of the LIBS signal, were constructed for both LIBS devices, with and without He flow, respectively. Detection limits achieved were in the range 1.18-0.47 wt.%. The best LOD value was obtained in He atmosphere. The LIBS measurement of fluorine content is influenced by different gate widths and the atmosphere in the working chamber. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of fluorine concentration in glass ionomer cements.