Effect of parameter setting and spectral normalization approach on study of matrix effect by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of Ag–Zn binary composites

Thecomplexnatureoflaser-materialinteractioncausesnon-stoichiometricablationofalloysamples.Thisisattributedtomatrixeffect,whichreducesanalyzingcapability.Toaddressthisissue,theanalyticalperformanceofthreedifferentnormalizationmethods,namelynormalizationwithbackground,internalnormalizationandthreepointsmoothingtechniquesatdifferentparametersettingsisstudiedforquantificationofAgandZnbyLaserinducedbreakdownspectroscopy(LIBS).TheLIBSspectraoffiveknownconcentrationofsilverzincbinarycompositeshavebeeninvestigatedatvariouslaserirradiances(LIs).CalibrationcurvesforbothAg(I)line(4d^105s^2S1/2→4d^105p^2P1/2at338.28nm)andZn(I)line(4s5s^3S1→4s4p^3P2at481.053nm)havebeendeterminedatLIof5.86×10^10Wcm^-2.SlopesofthesecalibrationcurvesprovidethevaluationofmatrixeffectintheAg–Zncomposites.Withcarefulsamplepreparationandnormalizationaftersmoothingatoptimumparametersetting(OPS),theminimizationofsamplematrixeffecthasbeensuccessfullyachieved.AgoodlinearityhasbeenobtainedinAgandZncalibrationcurveatOPSwhennormalizedthewholeareaofspectrumaftersmoothingandtheobtainedcoefficientsofdeterminationvalueswereR^2=0.995and0.998closerto1.Theresultsofmatrixeffecthavebeenfurtherverifiedbyanalysisofplasmaparameters.BothplasmaparametersshowednochangewithvaryingconcentrationatOPS.However,athighconcentrationofAg,theobservedsignificantchangesinbothplasmaparametersatcommonparametersettingPS-1andPS-2werethegestureofmatrixeffect.Inourcase,thebetteranalyticalresultswereobtainedatsmoothingfunctionwithoptimizedparametersettingthatindicatesitismoreefficientthannormalizationwithbackgroundandinternalnormalizationmethod.