Application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for environmental, chemical, and biological sensing

The Army is interested in sensors capable of characterizing/monitoring the environment (battlefield or military training ranges) at proximal distances. Recently, we evaluated laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) systems (hand-held, proximal, and bench top) for the characterization of metals (antimony, copper, lead, tungsten, and zinc) in soils obtained from military training ranges. We then compared the results to findings obtained with standard field and laboratory instrumentation for metals analysis - X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Couple Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).