Alessandro De Giacomo on Nanoparticle-Enhanced LIBS, Drone-Based Analysis, and Training Future Scientists

At SciX 2026, which took place in Sparks, Nevada, Alessandro De Giacomo, a professor at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy and a longtime editorial board member of Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, discusses nanoparticles as signal enhancers and medical tags, a self-calibrating drone laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system, open questions in laser–matter interaction, and why students need a strong foundation in fundamentals.

Nanoparticles have been part of LIBS research for about 15 years, according to Alessandro De Giacomo. In an interview at SciX, he explained that the approach began as a way to boost signal intensity by roughly two orders of magnitude through coupling the plasmonic effect with the laser, particularly for biological samples where LIBS has traditionally struggled. His group later found that nanoparticles also make efficient tags for disease-related markers, including those linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and for measuring ferritin in older people, an area he believes holds broad promise for medical applications.

Choosing the right nanoparticle involves trade-offs, De Giacomo noted. Smaller particles vaporize efficiently and act mostly as emitters, while larger ones contain more atoms and offer greater sensitivity. However, when tagging small targets such as exosomes, which can measure 100 nm or less, steric effects limit particle size, especially in multiplex analyses that use multiple tags.

De Giacomo also described a drone-mounted LIBS system that, to his knowledge, is the first operating system capable of quantitative in-flight measurements. Drone positioning carries centimeter-scale uncertainty, and oscillation and tilting during flight make conventional comparison against reference measurements impractical. A self-calibration approach solves this by deriving instrumental calibration and elemental quantification directly from the measured signal. The system quantifies elements down to 0.1% and can detect, though not quantify, ppm levels, precision he considers well suited to surveys spanning kilometers.

Discussing this year’s award selection, made by a 35-member international jury, he said the chosen papers (one on correct ICCD use and two applications in LIBS and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry [ICP-MS]) show laser ablation maturing for advanced applications. He added that the laser–matter interaction and material ejection in heterogeneous plasma systems remain underexplored.

De Giacomo also urged educators to ground students in scientific fundamentals rather than rushing to applications, arguing the field needs revolutionary, not merely evolutionary, work.

Further Reading

(1) De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. Alessandro De Giacomo on LIBS, Plasma Physics, and Nanoparticle Size. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/alessandro-de-giacomo-on-libs-plasma-physics-and-nanoparticle-size (accessed October 12, 2026).

(2) De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. Beyond the Plasma: Alessandro De Giacomo on Laser–Matter Interaction and Nanoparticle Tagging. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/beyond-the-plasma-alessandro-de-giacomo-on-laser-matter-interaction-and-nanoparticle-tagging (accessed October 12, 2026).

(3) De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. The Maturation of Laser Ablation. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/the-maturation-of-laser-ablation (accessed October 22, 2026).

(4) De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. Why Spectroscopy Education Should Aim for Revolution, Not Evolution. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/why-spectroscopy-education-should-aim-for-revolution-not-evolution (accessed October 22, 2026).

(5) De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. How Self-Calibration Makes Quantitative LIBS Possible on Drones. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/how-self-calibration-makes-quantitative-libs-possible-on-drones (accessed October 22, 2026).