Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Scope

LIBS covers the rapid, near-non-destructive elemental analysis of solid, powder, and liquid samples through laser ablation and optical emission spectroscopy of the resulting plasma, detecting and quantifying most elements simultaneously.

Key aspects of the technique include:

• Elemental coverage – simultaneous detection of most elements across the periodic table, including light elements (Li, Be, B, C, N, Na, Mg, Al, Si) that XRF cannot detect well
• Near-non-destructive – the ablation spot is submillimeter and a few microns deep, leaving the sample essentially intact for further analysis or return to service
• No sample preparation – most solid samples are analyzed directly; no dissolution, polishing, or coating is required
• Speed – a complete elemental spectrum is acquired in milliseconds; alloy identification and screening are completed in seconds
• Spatial analysis and mapping – the focused laser can be rastered across a surface to produce elemental maps showing where each element is concentrated
• In-situ and field capability – portable LIBS instruments enable in-situ analysis of components, surfaces, and structures without removing samples to a laboratory
• Quantitative analysis – with calibration against matrix-matched standards, quantitative elemental concentrations can be determined

Applications

• Alloy identification and PMI (Positive Material Identification) – rapid identification of metal alloys (stainless steel grades, nickel alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys) on-site or in the laboratory, verifying that components are the correct material
• Scrap metal sorting – rapid elemental analysis to sort and separate alloy grades in recycling and scrap-metal processing
• Contaminant and trace element detection – detecting trace elemental contaminants on surfaces or within materials, such as silicone contamination on composite surfaces, metallic contamination in powders, or process residues
• Surface contamination mapping – scanning a surface to map the spatial distribution of contaminant elements, identifying where contamination is concentrated
• Geological and mineral analysis – rapid elemental screening of rock, mineral, and ore samples for exploration and process control
• Archaeological and cultural heritage analysis – non-destructive elemental analysis of artifacts, pigments, and materials that cannot be sampled destructively
• Battery materials – analysis of lithium and other light elements in battery cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials
• Pharmaceutical and food analysis – elemental screening for trace metals and contaminants in solid pharmaceutical and food samples

Benefits

• Simultaneous multi-element from a single laser shot – the plasma emission contains the entire elemental spectrum, so all elements are detected together from one measurement rather than sequentially
• Near-non-destructive with no sample preparation – analysis directly on the solid surface, leaving it essentially intact, avoids the dissolution and preparation steps required by solution-based methods
• Covers light elements XRF cannot – LIBS detects Li, Be, C, N, Na, and other light elements that X-ray fluorescence cannot measure, making it a useful complement to XRF
• Fast enough for screening and sorting – millisecond acquisition and second-level identification make LIBS practical for rapid alloy sorting, PMI, and contamination screening at throughputs that other techniques cannot match
• Enables spatial mapping – rastering the laser across a surface builds an elemental map, revealing heterogeneity, contamination distribution, and compositional gradients that a point measurement misses
• Field deployable – portable LIBS instruments bring the analysis to the component, not the component to the lab, enabling PMI and screening in process plants, warehouses, and field locations