Quantitative analysis of a brass alloy using CF-LIBS and a laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Abstract

We present a quantitative analysis of a brass alloy using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS). The emission lines of copper (Cu I) and zinc (Zn I), and the constituent elements of the brass alloy were used to calculate the plasma parameters. The plasma temperature was calculated from the Boltzmann plot as (10 000 ± 1000) K and the electron number density was determined as (2.0 ± 0.5) × 10 17 cm −3 from the Stark-broadened Cu I line as well as using the Saha-Boltzmann equation. The elemental composition was deduced using these techniques: the Boltzmann plot method (70% Cu and 30% Zn), internal reference self-absorption correction (63.36% Cu and 36.64% Zn), EDX (61.75% Cu and 38.25% Zn), and LA-TOF (62% Cu and 38% Zn), whereas, the certified composition is (62% Cu and 38% Zn). It was observed that the internal reference self-absorption correction method yields analytical results comparable to that of EDX and LA-TOF-MS.

Isotopic and elemental analysis by electrostatic energy analyzer laser ablated time-of-flight mass spectrometer

“…Several authors [13,16,17] have used the Wiley-McLaren type instrument to investigate the samples by employing TOF-MS. The problem associated with the Wiley-McLaren design is the KE spread and spatial distribution of the ions produced in the laser plasma.…”

“…(3) There is no interference effect due to the buffer gas and different matrix as was the case in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Laser ablation of metals has been explored by many researchers using TOF-MS [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The main hindrances regarding the mass resolution in TOF-MS are, the dispersion in the initial energies, and the movement of charged particles in several directions, having an equal mass-to-charge ratio (m/z).…”

Spectroscopic and crystallographic analysis of nephrite jade gemstone using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction

“…The term values on the left side of equation (2) are determined using the recorded line intensities, while the right side of the equation contains the spectroscopic parameters of lines whose values are obtained from the NIST database. To verify the condition of optically thin plasma, spectral lines with a common upper energy level or close-lying energy levels were used to minimize temperature dependence [34] . The spectroscopic parameters of Ca, Si, Mg, and Fe were used in equation (2) to calculate the ratio of the line intensities, as given in Table 2 .…”

Time-Dependent Intensity Ratio-Based Approach for Estimating the Temperature of Laser Produced Plasma

“…Furthermore, according to the condition (i) mentioned in the theory section above, the selected spectral lines should be free from self-absorption. Based on earlier reports, 4,5,[21][22][23] five emission lines of Cu (465.18, 510.55, 515.38, 521.86, and 570.00 nm) and two emission lines of Zn (328.25 and 330.29 nm) were chosen for this study as they reported to be free from the selfabsorption effect. The spectroscopic parameters of these seven emission lines are taken from the NIST Atomic Database and presented in Table I.…”