LIBS
(Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy)
-
Element specific quantitative analysis – provides a complete set of individual elements in the sample being studied
-
Relatively independent from phase and temperature of the material (solid, liquid, gaseous)
-
High sensitivity, LOD ~ 10-500 ppm
-
Fast measurement: approx. 100 measurements / sec
-
Real-time analyses, On-line, In-line, In Situ
What is LIBS
-
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Focused laser pulses with intensities of 100 GW/cm create a direct transition of the material into the plasma phase > 10,000 K -
Plasma emits light containing discrete element-specific atomic emission lines that contain rich signals from the elemental content of the investigated specimen
3

Advantages of LIBS
-
Element specific quantitative analysis – provides a complete set of individual elements in the sample being studied
-
Relatively independent from phase and temperature of the material (solid, liquid, gaseous)
-
High sensitivity, LOD ~ 10-500 ppm
-
Fast measurement: approx. 100 measurements / sec
-
Real-time analyses, On-line, In-line, In Situ
-
Micro-destructive - Ablation volumes ~Attoliter
-
Measurement from a distance possible, laser focus on material surface
Spectral range typical 200-1000 nm
No time-consuming sample preparation necessary
LIBS Applications
Material sorting:
Inline LIBS equipment over material flows on conveyor belt, based on instant LIBS analysis result of elemental compositions
-
Mineral ores
-
Waste electronic and electronic equipment
-
Metal scrap alloys (Al, Mg, Ti, etc.)
-
Refractories
Considerations, for mining applications:
-
Adequately sampling the surface of the mineral
-
Complexity of the matrix effects that result in variations of the atomic emission lines from different elements
-
Preparing representative samples with known concentrations (using conventional analytical tools) to match natural rock samples for quantitative analysis using chemometrics
-
Having appropriate depth of field to avoid problems with surface roughness
-
Resolving the heterogeneity effect of the samples
-
Model maintenance