New Developments and Challenges in Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Session 340, Room 261, 8:30 a.m.

This symposium was arranged by Jagdish P. Singh of Mississippi State University and Richard Russo of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The session will start promptly at 8:30 a.m. today in room 261 with introductory remarks from both Singh and Russo.

The first talk in this session will be given by Javier Laserna of the University of Malaga. His talk is titled “Oceanic LIBS Spectroscopy: Concepts, Challenges and Tests in Mediterranean Waters.” Laserna will discuss the operating parameters of a marine LIBS analyzer.

Jose R. Almirall of Florida International University will present the next talk titled “Analytical LIBS in the Forensic Science Laboratory.” Almirall will compare the analytical figures of merit of LIBS to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for the analysis of several matrices of importance to forensic scientists. A comparison of the type of information gathered from LIBS and how the data is interpreted will also be presented.

The third presentation in this symposium will be given by Steven J. Rehse of the University of Windsor. Rehse’s talk is titled “Progress and Challenges in Using LIBS for Bacteriological Identification” and will focus on the latest achievements in his lab to more fully develop LIBS-based bacterial sensing. He will also review the challenges his lab faces as they transition from laboratory demonstration experiments to more commercial biolab techniques and instrumentation. These challenges include: identifying a suitable substrate for mounting the bacteria, concentrating a number of cells for sufficient signal-to-noise from a clinical specimen, and introducing a limited number of cells reproducibly into the analytic spark.

After a brief 15-min recess, Singh will present a talk titled “Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS): Application to Combustion Science.” Singh will review the various LIBS applications to combustion science including combustion products and flame diagnostics. The various experimental parameters that are important to combustion applications will also be addressed.

The final talk in this symposium will be given by Vassilia Zorba of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Zorba’s talk is titled “Ultrafast LIBS for 3D Chemical Imaging” and will discuss the use of femtosecond LIBS coupled with advanced visualization capabilities for the elemental imaging of Li-ion battery components including anodes, cathodes, solid electrolytes, and interfacial layers. Two-dimensional (2D) layer-by-layer mapping, 2D cross-sectional imaging, and three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering of major and minor elements will also be presented.