Date of Award
8-1-2025
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Sivakumar, Poopalasingam
Abstract
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique for elemental analysis that uses a high-energy laser pulse to ablate a sample surface, creating a plasma plume. As the plasma cools, excited atoms and ions emit characteristic photons, producing emission spectra that are unique for each element. However, LIBS analysis of powdered samples, especially those composed of micro- and nano-sized particles, often suffers from poor reproducibility due to particle loss during the ablation process. This study investigates how thin epoxy coating can enhance particle adhesion and improve the LIBS reproducibility. By varying the epoxy-to-ethanol ratio, we evaluated thicknesses of coating to produce a stable sample matrix while minimizing LIBS signal attenuation. Our results demonstrate that applying a 1:750 (v/v) epoxy-to-ethanol solution applied in a 1 µL significantly improved the sensitivity and reproducibility of LIBS for both micron- and submicron-sized particles. This SS-LIBS method offers a simple yet effective approach to improving the reproducibility of LIBS-based analysis of particles containing samples, with potential application in materials characterization and biomedical diagnostics, particularly biomarker detections.
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