Study on the improvement of analysis precision for laser induced breakdown spectrometry

The analytical precision of laser induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) was influenced by severe signal fluctuation, strong continuous emission interference complex spectrum, laser energy fluctuation and bad repeatability. In this study, based on the self-developed laser spectrometer, the spatial resolution and data stabilization was taken in to account with laser beam adjusting technique; the analytical sensitivity and lower limit of detection was improved with gating integration techniques; the reliability of data was improved by data screening technology. Thus, the analytical precision of LIBS was enhanced. Fifteen elements including C, Si, Mn, P, S, B, Mo, Ni, Cr, V, Cu, Ti, Al, W and Fe in amiddle-low alloy steel were determined by LIBS. Except for P and B, the relative standard deviations of determination results were all less than 10 %. The analytical precision was better than those of LIBS reported in references.