Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the Detection of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in Meteorites

Abstract

The spectroscopic characterization of plasma generated in meteorite samples during Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) shows the emission spectrum of elements present and also allows one to rapidly identify the elemental composition without any sample preparation and with good accuracy compared to some other methods. In addition, LIBS has other advantages, such as multi-elemental response, micro–nano gram level of destructiveness and portability of the instrument. Since the presence of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in meteorites is usually in trace levels or not at all, LIBS can be used as a potential alternative method for the meteorite fragment analysis which, in turn, gives valuable clues on its origin as well as the origin of the solar system and its impact on life on Earth, particularly on the presence of REEs. The elemental analysis results for a few of the selected samples, such as iron meteorites, lunar meteorites, eucrites and impact glass, are presented and discussed. The LIBS analysis was supplemented by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with which it was possible to classify the samples into different classes according to their chief constituents, structure and origin.

Potential Future Alternative Resources for Rare Earth Elements: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Hence, lot of studies are going on for the identification of the potential alternative deposits to meet the growing demand world over. Powerful analytical techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), x-ray diffractometry (XRD), laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and TESCAN, integrated mineral analysis (TIMA), are being utilised to understand the future potential of various alternative REE resources [33][34][35][36]. Following are some of the most important alternative sources for REE.…”

Analysis of Rare Earth Ores Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

“…Gaft et al [24] detected rare earth elements using diatomic molecular laser-induced plasma spectroscopy. Harikrishnan et al [25] conducted a comprehensive investigation into various types of astronomical samples, employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Furthermore, they applied multivariate analysis techniques to the LIBS data to categorize the samples into distinct groups.…”