Sensitivity and stability improvement on slippery surface-aggregated substrate for trace heavy metals detection using NELIBS

Siyi Xiao ¹, Yuanchao Liu ², Yawen Luo ³

⁰Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.

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April 20, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

A new slippery surface-aggregated substrate effectively suppresses the coffee ring effect in nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (NELIBS). This method enhances heavy metal detection sensitivity and accuracy for water quality analysis.

Area Of Science

Analytical Chemistry
Materials Science
Spectroscopy

Background

Sensitive detection of trace heavy metals in liquids is critical for human health and environmental monitoring.
Nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (NELIBS) with the dried droplet method (DDM) is a common technique for heavy metal analysis.
The coffee ring effect (CRE) in DDM negatively impacts the stability, accuracy, and sensitivity of NELIBS.

Purpose Of The Study

To develop a novel substrate to mitigate the CRE in DDM-NELIBS.
To enhance analyte enrichment and create a plasmonic platform for improved NELIBS performance.
To enable sensitive and stable detection of trace heavy metals in liquid samples.

Main Methods

Fabrication of a slippery surface-aggregated (SS) substrate by infiltrating perfluorinated lubricant into a PTFE membrane.
Drying droplets containing target elements and gold nanoparticles on the SS substrate to form a plasmonic platform.
Analysis of trace copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) using NELIBS on the developed substrate.

Main Results

The SS substrate effectively suppressed the CRE and enriched analytes, leading to stable and sensitive NELIBS detection.
Achieved low limits of detection (LoD) for Cu (3.72 μg/L) and Mn (6.37 μg/L), meeting China's standard limit (GB/T 14848-2017).
Demonstrated low relative errors (5.92% for Cu, 4.74% for Mn) in groundwater analysis compared to ICP-MS, validating practical feasibility.

Conclusions

The SS substrate is a viable solution for overcoming CRE limitations in DDM-NELIBS.
This approach significantly improves the stability, accuracy, and sensitivity of heavy metal detection.
The SS substrate holds substantial potential for practical applications in water quality monitoring and supervision.

Keywords:

Coffee ring effect Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy Nanoparticle-enhanced Slippery surface-aggregated substrate Water quality detection