Sensitive boron detection with surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by a surface...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SENLIBS) is a powerful technique for elemental analysis.
• Improving the analytical sensitivity of SENLIBS for liquid samples remains a key challenge.
• Substrate surface modification can influence laser-matter interaction and spectral signal intensity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the analytical sensitivity of SENLIBS for elemental analysis of liquid samples.
• To fabricate a periodic micro-structured copper foil substrate for improved SENLIBS performance.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of the micro-structured substrate for quantitative elemental analysis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 20 µm cylindrical hole periodic micro-structure on copper foil using electroplating and imprinting.
• Utilizing the micro-structured copper foil as a substrate for SENLIBS analysis of aqueous solutions.
• Quantitative analysis of boron (B) in aqueous solution using the developed SENLIBS method.
• Comparison of results with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Main Results:

• The periodic micro-structured surface effectively decreased laser reflectance and altered laser-substrate interaction.
• Spectral intensity of both substrate and sample elements was significantly enhanced.
• A limit of detection (LoD) for boron of 0.22 µg/mL was achieved.
• A 3.1-fold improvement in analytical sensitivity was observed compared to a flat copper foil substrate.
• Quantitative boron analysis results showed good agreement with ICP-OES.

Conclusions:

• An efficient method for fabricating periodic micro-structures on metal surfaces was demonstrated.
• The developed micro-structured copper foil substrate significantly improves SENLIBS analytical sensitivity for liquid samples.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for extending SENLIBS applications and enhancing its analytical performance.