%0 Journal Article
%T Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: Fundamentals, Applications, and Challenges
%A F. Anabitarte
%A A. Cobo
%A J. M. Lopez-Higuera
%J ISRN Spectroscopy
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/285240
%X Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that provides an accurate in situ quantitative chemical analysis and, thanks to the developments in new spectral processing algorithms in the last decade, has achieved a promising performance as a quantitative chemical analyzer at the atomic level. These possibilities along with the fact that little or no sample preparation is necessary have expanded the application fields of LIBS. In this paper, we review the state of the art of this technique, its fundamentals, algorithms for quantitative analysis or sample classification, future challenges, and new application fields where LIBS can solve real problems. 1. Introduction LIBS is an atomic emission spectroscopy technique which uses highly energetic laser pulses to provoke optical sample excitation [1]. The interaction between focused laser pulses and the sample creates plasma composed of ionized matter [2]. Plasma light emissions can provide ˇ°spectral signaturesˇ± of chemical composition of many different kinds of materials in solid, liquid, or gas state [3]. LIBS can provide an easy, fast, and in situ chemical analysis with a reasonable precision, detection limits, and cost. Additionally, as there is no need for sample preparation, it could be considered as a ˇ°put & playˇ± technique suitable for a wide range of applications [1] Considerable progress has been made during the last few years on very different and versatile applications of LIBS, including remote material assessment in nuclear power stations, geological analysis in space exploration, diagnostics of archaeological objects, metal diffusion in solar cells, and so forth [4]. Today, LIBS is considered as an attractive and effective technique when a fast and whole chemical analysis at the atomic level is required. Some of the established techniques for analytical atomic spectrometry are inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), electrothermal atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) [5], however, development on LIBS during recent years has reduced its gap in performance with respect to these other well-known approaches [5]. This paper begins with a brief explanation of the physics involved in plasma induction and the features of this plasma in LIBS and is then followed by a description of the basic devices which compose a LIBS set-up. These devices will be described associating their features with the properties of the induced plasma. Moreover, different kinds of analysis algorithms will be
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.spectroscopy/2012/285240/