Determination of micronutrient elements in soil using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by laser-induced fluorescence

Abstract

The determination of essential micronutrient elements (e.g., Fe, Mn, B, Zn and Cu) in soil is of key importance to evaluate the nutritional status of soil. Conventional single pulse LIBS methods used for determining these elements cannot satisfy the requirements of accuracy and sensitivity due to the serious matrix effect and self-absorption effect. In this work, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by laser-induced fluorescence (LIBS-LIF) was introduced to determine the essential micronutrient elements in soil. The linearity coefficients R² were all above 0.99 and the limits of detection for Fe, Mn, B, Zn and Cu reached 22.56, 1.23, 0.36, 1.21 and 0.48 ppm, respectively. The results demonstrate that LIBS-LIF can be an effective method for high-accuracy and high-sensitivity determination of essential micronutrient elements in soil.