Novel Applications of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.

The goal of this review article is to provide a description of recent and novel laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) applications and developments, especially those discussed during the NASLIBS Conference, held during SciX in Providence, RI, in September 2015. This topic was selected in view of the numerous recent overall review papers that have successfully given a broad view of the current understanding of laser-material interactions and plasma development and have also discussed the wide landscape of analytical applications of LIBS. This paper is divided into sections that focus on a few of the many applications under development in the LIBS community.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of steel: a comparison of univariate and multivariate calibration methods.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was carried out on twenty-three low to high alloy steel samples to quantify their concentrations of chromium, nickel, and manganese. LIBS spectral data were correlated to known concentrations of the samples and three calibration methods were compared. A standard LIBS calibration technique using peak area integration normalized by an internal standard was compared to peak area integration normalized by total light and the multivariate statistical technique of partial least squares.

Fiber-optic spark delivery for gas-phase laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

This article reports what are to the authors' knowledge the first gas-phase laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements using a fiber-optically delivered spark. A silver- and polymer-coated hollow fiber delivered high-energy nanosecond 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser pulses, which were focused to generate high-energy-density plasmas in ultra-lean methane-air mixtures. Emissions from these plasmas were collected and spectroscopically analyzed to quantify relative fuel-to-air ratio.

Single diode laser sensor for wide-range H2O temperature measurements.

A single diode laser absorption sensor (near 1477 nm) useful for simultaneous temperature and H2O concentration measurements is developed. The diode laser tunes approximately 1.2 cm(-1) over three H2O absorption transitions in each measurement.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy detection and classification of biological aerosols.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is examined as a potential method for detecting airborne biological agents. A spectrally broadband LIBS system was used for laboratory measurements on some common biological agent simulants. These measurements were compared to those of common, naturally occurring biological aerosol components (pollen and fungal spores) to determine the potential of LIBS for discriminating biological agents from natural background aerosols.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for on-line engine equivalence ratio measurements.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used to measure the equivalence ratio of a spark-ignited engine in a laboratory setting. Spectral features of C (711.3 nm), O (776.