Trace metal analysis of element on material surface using pulse CO2 laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy applying vaporization technique.

Trace elemental analysis on a surface of material has been recently imperative to be carried out especially in material industries. In this study, sophisticated setup of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been arranged and demonstrated by employing vaporization technique for the trace elemental analysis on a surface of material without ablating the material itself. Experimentally, a pulse transversely excited atmospheric CO2 laser was directed and defocused at +5 mm on a Si surface at inclining degree of approximately 25o to vaporize the trace metal element from the Si surface to the Pt mesh combined with Cu plate. The vaporized trace metal element then attached and deposited on the mesh surface. The trace metal attached-Pt mesh was then bombarded by focused laser beam to induce a luminous plasma and finally the trace element was identified. Results certified that sensitive trace elemental analysis of Cr deposited on the Si surface has been successfully carried out without any ablation of Si surface. Good linear calibration curve of Cr with an intercept zero was produced, which results in limit of detection of Cr of approximately 100 ppb.

A comparative study of pressure-dependent emission characteristics in different gas plasmas induced by nanosecond and picosecond neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers.

An experimental study has been performed on the pressure-dependent plasma emission intensities in Ar, He, and N2 surrounding gases with the plasma induced by either nanosecond (ns) or picosecond (ps) yttrium aluminum garnet laser. The study focused on emission lines of light elements such as H, C, O, and a moderately heavy element of Ca from an agate target. The result shows widely different pressure effects among the different emission lines, which further vary with the surrounding gases used and also with the different ablation laser employed. It was found that most of the maximum emission intensities can be achieved in Ar gas plasma generated by ps laser at low gas pressure of around 5 Torr. This experimental condition is particularly useful for spectrochemical analysis of light elements such as H, C, and O, which are known to suffer from intensity diminution at higher gas pressures. Further measurements of the spatial distribution and time profiles of the emission intensities of H I 656.2 nm and Ca II 396.8 nm reveal the similar role of shock wave excitation for the emission in both ns and ps laser-induced plasmas, while an additional early spike is observed in the plasma generated by the ps laser. The suggested preference of Ar surrounding gas and ps laser was further demonstrated by outperforming the ns laser in their applications to depth profiling of the H emission intensity and offering the prospect for the development of three-dimensional analysis of a light element such as H and C.

Atomic hydrogen emission induced by TEA CO(2) laser bombardment on solid samples at low pressure and its analytical application.

Hydrogen emission has been studied in laser plasmas by focusing a TEA CO(2) laser (10.6 microm, 500 mJ, 200 ns) on various types of samples, such as glass, quartz, black plastic sheet, and oil on copper plate sub-target. It was found that H(alpha) emission with a narrow spectral width occurs with high efficiency when the laser plasma is produced in the low-pressure region. On the contrary, the conventional well-known laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is usually carried out at atmospheric air pressure, cannot be applied to the analysis of hydrogen as an impurity. By combining low-pressure laser-induced plasma spectroscopy with laser surface cleaning, a preliminary quantitative analysis was made on zircaloy pipe samples intentionally doped with hydrogen. As a result, a good linear relationship was obtained between H(alpha) emission intensity and its concentration.

Carbon analysis for inspecting carbonation of concrete using a TEA CO2 laser-induced plasma.

It has been demonstrated that a spectrochemical analysis of carbon using the laser plasma method can be successfully applied to inspect the carbonation of concrete by detecting carbon produced in aged concrete by a chemical reaction of Ca(OH)2 with CO2 gas in environmental air, turning into CaCO3, which induces degradation of the quality of building concrete. A comparative study has been made using a TEA CO2 laser (500-1000 mJ) and a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser (50-200 mJ) to search for the optimum conditions for carbon analysis, proving the advantage of the TEA CO2 laser for this purpose. Also, it was clarified that laser irradiation with suitable defocusing conditions is a crucial point for obtaining high sensitivity in the detection of carbon. Practical experiments on the inspection of carbonation were carried out using both a concrete sample that had been intentionally carbonated by exposure to high concentrations of CO2 gas and a naturally carbonated concrete sample. As a result, good coincidence was observed between the laser method and the ordinary method, which uses the chemical indicator phenolphthalein, implying that this laser technique is applicable as an in situ quantitative method of inspection for carbonation of concrete.