Accuracy improvement of calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy can overcome the matrix effect and the huge application prospects of in situ and on-line measurement, so it has been studied and applied to many analytical samples by numerous researchers since it was first proposed in 1999. However, its accuracy is always lower than other analytical techniques and traditional quantitative analysis methods of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The goal of this paper is to review the improvement of accuracy in the experimental setup and spectral analysis, especially after 2010, but not limited to it. The main contents include the accurate measurement of spectral intensity, the spatial and temporal window of local thermodynamic equilibrium and the accurate calculation of temperature and electron density. Due to the requirement of one or more standard samples, the combination of standard samples and CF-LIBS is discussed as a separate section. Finally, a simple conclusion is offered to relevant researchers who want to use CF-LIBS for quantitative analysis.