Rapid and ultra-sensitive trace metals detection of water by partial Leidenfrost superhydrophobic array surface enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The rapid and ultra -sensitive detection of trace elements in liquid is a primary concern for researchers. In this study, a partial Leidenfrost effect superhydrophobic (PLSHB) array surface was used for rapid in situ evaporation enrichment of sample droplets. Within 4 min, a 50 mu L droplet sample was completely evaporated, resulting in all solutes in it being concentrated within a circular range measuring approximately 350 mu m in diameter, without the formation of a coffee ring structure. The limits of detection for six metals (Pb, Ba, Be, Mn, Cr, Cu) in water were determined to be as follows: 0.82 mu g L - 1 , 0.27 mu g L - 1 , 0.033 mu g L - 1 , 0.136 mu g L - 1 , 0.241 mu g L - 1 , and 0.083 mu g L - 1 . Furthermore, laser -induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed to detect the enriched solutes from ten liquid samples with identical concentrations on the PLSHB array surface; these measurements exhibited a relative standard deviation (RSD) of only 3.7%. Spike experiments involving the addition of the aforementioned six metals into drinking water demonstrated recovery rates ranging from 85.7% to 117.7%. Therefore, the application potential of PLSHB array surface enhanced LIBS for rapid, stable, and ultra -sensitive detection and analysis of trace metal elements across various fields such as industry, environmental science, and biomedicine might be highly promising.