Isotope Detection in Microwave-Assisted Laser-Induced Plasma

Ali M. Alamri, Jan Viljanen, Philip Kwong, Zeyad T. Alwahabi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
5 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Isotope detection and identification is paramount in many fields of science and industry, such as in the fusion and fission energy sector, in medicine and material science, and in archeology. Isotopic information provides fundamental insight into the research questions related to these fields, as well as insight into product quality and operational safety. However, isotope identification with established mass-spectrometric methods is laborious and requires laboratory conditions. In this work, microwave-assisted laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (MW-LIBS) is introduced for isotope detection and identification utilizing radical and molecular emission. The approach is demonstrated with stable B and Cl isotopes in solids and H isotopes in liquid using emissions from BO and BO2, CaCl, and OH molecules, respectively. MW-LIBS utilizes the extended emissive plasma lifetime and molecular-emission signal-integration times up to 900 μs to enable the use of low (~4 mJ) ablation energy without compromising signal intensity and, consequently, sensitivity. On the other hand, long plasma lifetime gives time for molecular formation. Increase in signal intensity towards the late microwave-assisted plasma was prominent in BO2 and OH emission intensities. As MW-LIBS is online-capable and requires minimal sample preparation, it is an interesting option for isotope detection in various applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)466-477
Number of pages12
JournalPlasma
Volume6
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023
Publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • emission
  • isotope
  • LIBS
  • microwave
  • plasma

Publication forum classification

  • Publication forum level 1

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Materials Science (miscellaneous)
  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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