| Project Detail |
Multi-elemental mapping, allowing the characterization of the elemental distribution in heterogeneous samples at high spatial resolution (~µm scale), are opening new applications in many fields. As two laser ablation-based techniques, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), are becoming more and more attractive, due to the advantages such as rapid, sensitive, and high spatial resolution mapping. Especially, they are complementary to each other, where LA-ICPMS offers more sensitive analysis while LIBS can analyze the elements that are difficult or impossible for LA-ICPMS analysis, such as H, O, N, C, or halogens. Full elemental fast mapping applications can be achieved with simultaneous LIBS-LAICPMS technique. However, due to the different detection mechanisms for these two techniques, the optimal laser operation conditions were different, where LIBS typically require higher laser pulse energy than LA-ICPMS. Therefore, the LIBS signal under standard LA-ICPMS conditions are generally relatively low.
In this project, to enhance the LIBS signal without significantly affecting ICPMS analysis, combination of double pulse LIBS in an orthogonal configuration and LA-ICPMS is proposed, where a second laser pulse (ns) is used to reheat the plasma plume/aerosol induced by the first laser ablation pulse (fs), to carry out highly sensitive, high spatial resolution, high throughput and full elemental mapping. To perform simultaneous optimal analysis by LIBS and LA-ICPMS, a high-performance ablation cell with optimized optical collection lenses will be designed and developed. Further on, the analytical setup will be established and corresponding analytical methodology for full elemental imaging will be developed and applied for the real samples such as gemstone. The developed DP-LIBS/LA-ICPMS technique is potential for various filed such as biological, mapping, and material sciences. |
