[Enhancing effect of sample additive on laser-induced plasma radiation]

Area of Science:

• Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
• Plasma physics
• Analytical chemistry

Context:

• Laser-induced plasma (LIP) is a crucial tool in elemental analysis.
• Optimizing LIP radiation characteristics is essential for improving analytical sensitivity and accuracy.
• Soil analysis often requires sensitive and reliable elemental detection methods.

Purpose:

• To investigate the effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) as an additive on the radiation characteristics of laser-induced plasma generated from soil samples.
• To determine the optimal concentration of NaCl for enhancing plasma properties.
• To analyze the impact of NaCl on spectral intensity, signal-to-background ratio, electron temperature, and electron density.

Summary:

• A laser spectrum analytical system, utilizing a neodymium glass laser, spectrometer, and CCD detector, was employed to study NaCl's influence on soil plasma.
• Experimental results show that increasing NaCl concentration initially enhances spectral intensity, signal-to-background ratio, electron temperature, and electron density, peaking at 15% NaCl.
• At 15% NaCl, spectral intensities for Mn, K, Fe, and Ti increased by up to 53.9%, signal-to-background ratios by up to 84.3%, and plasma electron temperature and density rose by 0.17 and 0.36 times, respectively.

Impact:

• The findings demonstrate that NaCl addition is an effective method for enhancing LIP radiation intensity and analytical performance in soil analysis.
• This optimization can lead to more sensitive and accurate elemental detection in complex matrices like soil using LIBS.
• The study provides valuable insights for optimizing LIBS parameters for environmental monitoring and geological surveys.