Improvement of LIBS signal stability for NaCl solution using femtosecond laser-induced water film

This paper studies the analysis of Na element concentration in NaCl aqueous solution using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The NaCl solution is transformed to a thin water film. The water film can provide a stable liquid surface, and overcome the disadvantage that laser focusing position cannot be fixed due to liquid level fluctuation (when nanosecond laser is used as the excitation light source, there is serious liquid splash phenomenon, which affects the signal stability). And, femtosecond pulse laser is used to excite the water film to produce the plasma, avoiding liquid splashing. The measured emission lines are Na (I) at 589.0 nm and 589.6 nm. The calibration curves of sodium are plotted by measuring different concentrations of NaCl solution. The linear correlation coefficients of Na (I) lines at 589.0 nm and 589.6 nm are 0.9928 and 0.9914, respectively. In addition, the relative standard deviation is also calculated; its range is from 1.5% to 4.5%. The results indicate that the combination of femtosecond laser and water film can significantly improve the signal stability for liquid analysis in LIBS. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

This study investigated the analysis of Na element concentration in NaCl aqueous solution using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). By transforming the NaCl solution into a thin water film, a stable liquid surface was provided to overcome the drawback of laser focusing position fluctuation caused by liquid level changes. Utilizing femtosecond pulse laser to excite the water film, plasma production was achieved while avoiding liquid splashing, leading to improved signal stability for liquid analysis in LIBS.