Nanoparticle enhanced femtosecond laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of aluminum sheet coated with gold nanoparticle embedded nanofibers

Abstract

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique in conjunction with nanoparticles improves the sensitivity in the detection of solids like metals, precious gemstones and liquid samples. Femtosecond (fs) LIBS signals can also be enhanced in the presence of nanoparticles. We demonstrated up to two-time enhancement in the fs LIBS spectra of aluminum sheet coated with the gold nanoparticles embedded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers. Gold nanoparticles were fabricated using the fs laser ablation in liquid technique, the mean size of the nanoparticles was 10-15 nm. PVA nanofibers and are loaded Gold nanoparticles were prepared by electrospinning technique. The enhancements were observed in both the atomic and molecular (AlO) emissions. The technique can further be optimized for obtaining signal enhancement in the molecular bands of explosive traces.