Qualitative and quantitative discrimination of major elements in Chitosan (natural polymer) using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

In this work, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of Chitosan samples (natural polymer). For qualitative analysis, plasma parameters are determined, while for quantitative analysis, the initial concentration of chitosan samples is calculated. It developed a plasma plume using a second harmonic (532 nm) laser pulses, which makes the Q-Switched Nd: YAG laser compatible with delay generators and computing electronics. The component elements and their corresponding concentrations are calculated based on the strongest emission lines of the element using the line intensity ratio method and the calibration-free LIBS approach. The results obtained by both methods are compared for the effectiveness of the algorithm. In the chitosan monomer (C6H11NO4)n, four major elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) were detected and their quantities were calculated. In addition to investigating the physical behavior of plasma in the interaction of laser beams with materials, the plasma parameters (electron number density and plasma temperature) are determined by stark-broadening profile fitting and Boltzmann plot method, respectively. The results obtained show that the LIBS can be exploited for quantitative and standard analysis of industrial grade materials for better results in applications.